Healing
by sarini
Summary: COMPLETE! The final battle has just taken place on the front lawn of number four, Privet Drive, but where is Harry Potter? Why does Minerva rush back to Hogwarts? SLASH warning.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I am not in any way affiliated with Ms. Rowling or with Warner Bros. Entertainment. I merely borrow her world for a short time to play around in, and receive no monetary compensation for doing so.

**Spoilers:** This story takes into account everything in the Harry Potter series up to, and including, book 5. There are no spoilers in this series for HBP, and my own version of sixth year (one of them anyway) can be found in the companion piece to the Healing series.

Healing

Part One

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The final battle between Harry Potter and the Dark Lord Voldemort was a spectacular sight to the Muggle, or non-magical, witnesses from the neighborhood in Surrey. The spectacular sight was one they would never remember. By dawn they would either be dead, killed by Death Eaters, or on their way to work as though nothing had happened, memory charmed by The Ministry of Magic. Figures in robes and cloaks shot beams of light at each other. There were creatures there that were thought to be mythological: giants, elves, centaurs, vampires, and some they had no names for.

The Muggles had been awakened in the middle of the night by a loud explosion at Number Four Privet Drive. The summer after Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Witchery the teenage wizard was betrayed by someone close to him. Determining exactly who had done the betraying would have to wait. As soon as Voldemort had attacked the wards surrounding the house of Harry's uncle and aunt, Albus Dumbledore was notified that something was horribly wrong. He gathered every member of the Order of the Phoenix and alerted the Ministry to send every wizard they could find.

The Muggles watched as the hooded and masked figures surrounded the suburban house. Other figures in robes appeared out of nowhere to fight off the attackers. The fight was like no other they had ever seen. These people were fighting by pointing sticks at each other and shooting jets of light out of the ends of the sticks. The lights were coming out in all colors of the rainbow. The muggles all felt a shiver creep up their spines at the sickly green light that felled anyone it hit instantly. They kept their distance, not wanting to get hit by the light. One of them flinched when the light headed their way, only to be stopped by some invisible force.

What shocked them most was when the teenager they thought was a dangerous criminal was the only one to exit the house to fight the invaders. When they saw him wield a stick of his own they were further surprised. Some of them assumed that the Potter boy had killed the Dursleys their sleep. Others thought he was protecting his adoptive family and felt with a pang of guilt that they had misjudged the boy. They disliked the Dursleys in general and considered that perhaps Vernon and Petunia had been lying all these years. After all, they thought Dudley was wonderful and that boy was monster. Mrs. Figg was not at all hesitant to inform anyone who would listen to her that Harry had been horribly mistreated by the Dursleys and was no criminal. She kept a mental list of every Muggle who was watching for the Ministry.

They saw creatures and humans dying on the immaculately trimmed lawns. What they didn't see was the terrible grief etched on Harry Potter's face. The sixteen-year-old wizard had seen a friend die two years ago. He watched his godfather's murder one year ago. Just this year he was unable to help as he witnessed the death of another boy who he thought was his enemy and killed for the first time. The truth was discovered too late. This evening he saw several people he loved fall. The muggles watched the sixteen-year-old battling with his own stick. They were amazed to see attacker after attacker fall to the teenager and jets of green light. He moved faster than anyone else on the field and the jets of light shooting out his stick came at an astonishing rate. The light that hit him seemed to have no effect.

One of the attackers was particularly frightening. The black cloaked figure was tall and thin. His face had two slits instead of a nose and red snake-like eyes. Almost from the beginning of the battle this frightening figure was fighting with the oldest man the muggles had ever seen. He had long flowing white hair and his white beard reached his waist but moved as a man in his twenties would. The fight between the two was mesmerizing. When one of the green jets of light hit the old man the muggles became even more afraid. A few of them saw the change on Harry Potter's face as he engaged the snake faced man in battle. The grief hardened into hatred and determination as Harry battled the Dark Lord.

Those nearby were amazed that Harry was taunting Voldemort. When the Dark Lord finally attacked, The-Boy-Who-Lived was ready. He shouted his curse at the same moment, triggering the connection between their wands and springing his trap. The golden cage spanned out from the two wands, encasing the two wizards who had so much in common yet were so very different. Harry was also ready for this. He whipped another wand out from the sleeve of his robes and shouted. _Avada Kedavara!_ The beam of green light that shot out of the wand was so bright that some of the Muggles shielded their eyes.

Voldemort was consumed by the glowing green light that flowed from Harry Potter in a continuous stream. His body was lifted off the ground and the green light pulsated around him. The area was plunged into darkness as both wizards dropped, the green light extinguished. As the Dark Lord Voldemort fell a wave of pure energy shot outwards, knocking everyone in a ten-block radius to the ground and breaking windows in the immediate area.

Minerva McGonagall stood, surrounded by carnage. She immediately began to magically bind any surviving Death Eaters. The dark wizards did not fight, in shock from the death of their Master. A few disapparated and would have to be hunted down, but that was what aurors were for. Other members of the Order and Ministry employees were doing the same work as her. There were a few Ministry officials who gathered together the Muggles who had been spectators to the battle. She saw a bright flash as the Group Memory Charm was cast. Arabella Figg directed the Ministry wizards in returning the Muggles to the proper houses. The squib was appreciated by the wizarding world for the first time in her life. Minerva's throat closed as she came upon the body of her closest friend, her mentor and colleague.

"Oh Albus," she choked out as she kneeled by the headmaster's body, "you didn't see it. You didn't see Harry win."

She remembered with a gasp the events she spoke of and started to search frantically for her student. With so many people there the diminutive boy would be easy to miss. She pushed past wizards and witches; her eyes wide open for a glimpse of messy raven hair and bright green eyes. She inquired of everyone she saw if they had seen Harry. Soon word spread that she was looking for him. With all the Death Eaters who they captured bound and guarded, a full scale search for the savior of the wizarding world began. Minerva reached the front yard of the Dursley home. The despicable family had stayed inside the entire time, only venturing forth once quiet descended.

She stood beside the corpse of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Dark Lord Voldemort. Shaking, she reached out and verified for herself that he was dead. The grass around him was broken and bent down in a circular pattern, expanding out from the evil wizard like a ripple in water. She crawled to the spot where Harry had stood as he cast the final curse of the second war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The pattern in the grass remained the same. Harry had never hit the ground.

Memory charms cannot be reversed by magic. They do not heal with time. On vary rare occasions extreme shock is the only thing can recover the blocked memories. As Minerva searched, almost in panic, for any sign of Harry Potter a dam in her mind broke and the events of twenty years ago flooded into her mind. She stopped in place as though she had hit an invisible brick wall. Molly Weasley approached her, examining the face of the Deputy Headmistress, now Headmistress, with the practiced eye of a mother of seven.

"Minerva, what is it? Where is Harry?" Molly asked. She saw hope and relief in the Scottish woman's face.

"I don't know where he is, but I know he'll be back," she said. No one else could get a word out of her that evening. No one would have believed her if they did.

Minerva returned to Hogwarts and stood before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Albus Dumbledore's office, now her office. It moved aside without a password to reveal the moving spiral stone stairs. She stepped on and walked into the office, greeting Fawkes. The phoenix flew to her shoulder, as it never had before. She stroked his feathers and his song lightened her heart. She sat at the desk to wait. There was an envelope on the desk addressed to her. She opened it and pulled out the parchment. The headmaster's familiar script was etched across the pages. She began to read.

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Minerva McGonagall walked out through the main doors of Hogwarts. This fall would see her twenty-first year as Professor of Transfiguration. She still remembered the day she had moved into her staff quarters at the castle where she had been a student only two years before she began to teach. When she had received the invitation from Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, to join the Hogwarts staff, she had replied instantly. He had vacated the post of Professor of Transfiguration to lead the school. Minerva McTavish was ecstatic when she told her fiancé William McGonagall the good news. She wiped away a tear at the memory of her deceased husband. He had fallen in the fight against Voldemort early on in the war. He was one of the first victims, a talented young auror in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She walked across the castle grounds as the morning fog lifted off the lake in the bright summer sun. This would be her first year as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. The Potions Professor who had held the position retired after the previous spring. His only child had been killed in the war and he had decided to move back to America with his broken-hearted wife, as far away from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as they could get. The war between the sides of light and dark was tearing apart the wizarding world. It had been ten years since You-Know-Who had started to gather followers and there was no end in sight. While the Ministry fought and rallied the country, everyone understood that the real resistance was at Hogwarts, with Albus Dumbledore, the only wizard You-Know-Who feared.

Minerva turned away from the lake and towards the quidditch pitch. Her route took her next to the cottage where the groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys lived. She then walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest and across the quidditch pitch. Occasionally one of the centaurs would venture to the edge of the forest and greet her. Once she even saw one of the rare unicorns that lived in the forest. The truly dangerous creatures did not come near the edges, as they were afraid of Albus. Minerva was constructing a syllabus for her fifth year students in her mind and tripped as she walked along the edge of the quidditch stands. Turning to see why, she saw a pile of black robes. The crumpled figure in black school robes open over cotton pajama pants shocked her.

She rushed to the side of the still form and felt for a pulse. It was there, though faint. Gently rolling the child over, she received yet another shock. In the dim early morning light the boy looked exactly like James Potter, the seventh year Gryffindor that would be Head Boy this year. She would have thought it was James had the boy been taller and his hair solid black. Racking her brain she remembered that James was an only child, the last of the Potter line. Despite the white hairs interspersed in the black his face was that of teenager. She stood and took out her wand to conjure a stretcher for the injured boy. She and Albus could identify him later. Now she had to get him to Poppy's care.

Once Madam Pomfrey assured her the boy would survive despite numerous dark curses, Minerva turned to fetch the Headmaster. Albus must be informed of the strange child found injured on the castle grounds. With reports of Death Eater attacks every week witches and wizards were being more cautious than usual. At Hogwarts, though, it was assumed you could let your guard down. Minerva had noticed the Gryffindor colors on the neck of the boy's bloodied robes. She knew all the students in her house and this was not one of them. She opened the door to the hospital wing to find Albus standing there, about to enter. There was no surprise there. The Headmaster always knew what was happening in his school. Minerva suspected that half the house-elves worked purely as spies, reporting everything to the kind white haired wizard. There were also the portraits, suits of armour, ghosts, and various statues in the castle that could inform the old man.

"Minerva," he began, "I hear you had a bit of a shock this morning."

"Yes Albus," she said as she led him to the child's bed. "This boy..."

At that moment the boy woke. When he opened his eyes Minerva was shocked for the third time in only one hour. The eyes were a dazzling emerald green. Only one other person she had ever met had eyes of that color. This child had the same eyes as Lily Evans, another seventh year Gryffindor and this year's Head Girl. The eyes lit up with a sparkle exactly like the one often seen in the pale blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore when he saw the headmaster.

"Albus," the child exclaimed happily. "I thought you were... I saw you... then I must be dead too." His face changed to an expression of sadness and his gaze shifted to meet her eyes. "Minerva! I thought you had survived." He took in his surroundings. "If I'm dead what the hell am I doing in the Hogwarts hospital wing? Haven't I spent enough time here?" He went into a fit of coughing and a hand went to his forehead. His muscles contracted with obvious pain.

The headmaster's brow furrowed in deep thought. He handed a vial of some healing potion to the boy, who grimaced and swallowed it in one pull between coughs. His coughs quieted and he rubbed the odd cut on his forehead as though it itched. "You are not dead child, and neither are we. Professor McGonagall found you on the grounds this morning."

The boy's expression mirrored the one Albus had worn moments earlier. His face suddenly cleared and he began to laugh. "That was one hell of a nightmare this time then. I thought it was summer, and Voldemort," Minerva flinched, "killed you. Then I killed Voldemort in the front yard on Privet Drive and woke up here. All the muggles from the neighborhood were watching and the whole Order was there to fight Voldemort." His laughter faded as he saw Minerva flinch for the third time. "What's wrong? You stopped flinching at his name last year."

"There seems to be some confusion here. You know us quite well, but neither one of us knows you," Minerva said.

The boy's eyes widened. He looked around quickly and saw his wands on the bedside table. He grabbed the one made of the lighter wood, holly Minerva thought, and held it in his lap, poised for use. His eyes shifted back and forth between Minerva and Albus suspiciously.

The headmaster spoke before the boy could do anything rash. "What is your name?"

The boy eyed Albus thoughtfully before speaking, "Someone must have obliviated the both of you. I'm Harry Potter, you know, the-boy-who-lived," Minerva gasped and covered her mouth with her hand in reaction to the surname.

"I am pleased to meet you Harry, though to be honest your surname does not surprise me. With the exception of the eyes and your height you are the mirror image of James. What relation are you? I have been under the impression he is an only child." Albus did not respond to the accusation of memory loss or the boy who lived comment.

"He _was_ an only...what is the date?" Realization seemed to be dawning on the boy.

"Was, you say? Today is the thirty-first of July, 1977." All color drained from the boy's face and his hand on his forehead tightened.

"I haven't even been born yet," he said in horror before slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Albus, what is this?" Minerva managed to speak.

"I think it is quite clear Minerva. Somehow Harry, whose parentage is quite obvious even if they are not yet dating, was transported back in time after I died and he killed Voldemort. There is no need to fear his name Minerva. Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself. Anyway, Harry said you stopped fearing his name in the future, so you might as well save yourself time and stop now." Albus said.

Minerva laughed, "But then I would be changing the course of history Albus. Harry remembers when I stopped flinching at You-Know-Who's name." She was feeling a bit better. Time travel was unusual in the wizarding world, but not unheard of. The Ministry did have a select number of time turners that could send someone back a number of hours. This boy had to have traveled at least eighteen years, though, and that was very rare. "I wonder how he got here... and how we will get him back."

"He will have to stay here until we find a way. He is young enough that he must still be a student. He will have to be disguised, though. His resemblance to Lily and James is too uncanny. How shall we do that..." the headmaster smiled at the challenge.

"Isn't it obvious Albus?" Minerva said with a chuckle. "Give him blond hair and blue eyes. Alexander can brew a potion for that, or you can yourself. He may look like a smaller version of James with the eyes of Lily Evans, but his facial expressions are yours. I believe your future protégé is in that bed."

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	2. Chapter 2

Healing

Part Two

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Harry woke with an overall ache, as though he had fallen down a flight of stairs and bruised everywhere. He shifted in his bed and winced at the pain it brought. He was having some difficulty separating his dreams from reality. It was usually so clear. Had he really killed Voldemort? There was a sharp ghost of a pain in his scar, making him think that the death of Voldemort was real at least. Reaching up to rub it in a habitual gesture Harry discovered a fresh scab. The scar must have split open when Voldemort died. Did he dream he had traveled back in time? He was in the Hogwarts hospital wing wearing Madam Pomfrey issued pajamas. At that moment in his musing Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room.

"Ah, I see you are awake again. How are you feeling?" she said as she took his wrist in her hand.

"Sore everywhere, but-" something wasn't right. She was never this impersonal towards him. The Poppy Pomfrey he knew was always scolding him for the amount of time he spent in the hospital wing and mothering him.

"You seem much better. You'll probably be able to leave us today, though I'm not sure where you'll go," she said as she continued to check his vital signs.

Leave today? She usually kept him there long after it was necessary. The headmaster and Minerva McGonagall entered the room, and Harry realized that he had not dreamed at all. Minerva had much less gray in her hair, and the headmaster's face was lined with fewer signs of age. He felt a lump form in his throat. If he had not dreamed, then Albus was really dead. Harry was ashamed at the tear that dripped down his cheek. He had not cried when Cedric died. He had not cried when Sirius died. He had not cried when Draco Malfoy died, though no one expected him to. Harry had not cried since he was a small child and his Uncle Vernon had berated him for being a weakling, no matter that Dudley cried all the time to get what he wanted. He blinked his eyes and focused on pushing the pain back to prevent further tears.

"Do not feel ashamed Harry, and do not feel it necessary to grieve for me. To the well prepared mind death is but the next great adventure," Albus said.

Harry smiled, "So you've told me. It was at the end of my first year."

"Poppy you might want to sit down before you hear this," the headmaster ordered.

She looked back and forth between her patient and the headmaster and the identical twinkle in their eyes with barely masked curiosity and took a seat in the nearest chair.

"Do you know how you got here Harry?" Harry shook his head. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"Voldemort," Minerva and Poppy flinched, "got past the wards at my aunt and uncle's house. There was a battle right there with all the Muggles in the neighborhood watching. I had to fight through the Death Eaters to get near Voldemort. He killed you Albus, right before I got to you." Harry's breathing was getting laborious and a headache was growing.

"I goaded him into dueling with me." The three adults looked astonished. "Our wands connected. Both of them have cores of phoenix feather from Fawkes. He didn't know I had a second wand up my left sleeve. I remember wishing I was anywhere but there. So many people were dead. I cast the killing curse and there was a shock wave of energy when it killed him. I fell… and woke up here."

Harry looked down at his hands. Even though the Ministry had authorized the use of the killing curse on Voldemort and his Death Eaters he still felt… dirty. That the use of an Unforgivable Curse could land any wizard in Azkaban with a life sentence had been drilled into him. This was the fifth time for him and there would be no repercussions. Was it just because he was Harry Potter? He never knew how Albus had defeated Grindelwald. The headmaster hadn't wanted to discuss it.

"It is extremely rare, but I believe that with your own will combined with the energy released upon Voldemort's death you teleported yourself back in time. We can send you back, though it is a very difficult and time-consuming process. I'll have to do some research. Perhaps Nicolas can help. A time turner will not be sufficient, given the amount of time we are looking at." Albus pondered the problem.

Harry grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Albus was bringing up memories from all his years at Hogwarts. "They only work for a matter of hours."

Minerva looked at him closely. "You say this as if you know from personal experience."

"The future you is well aware of the circumstances." Upon remembering the events of his third year he recalled the cardinal rule of time travel. Be careful what you say and do, lest you create a paradox. He reprimanded himself silently. "I've probably already told you too much. I could be jeopardizing the future."

"Don't worry Harry. The three of us will not let this out of the room and you will have to memory charm us before you leave. In the meantime, do not tell us too much about the present time as it could affect our actions before you leave. If you need to talk to anyone about future events you may talk to one of us. It is enough for now that we know you are James and Lily's son." Harry nodded. "Now, how old are you?"

"Today is July thirty-first?" The three adults nodded. "Then at home it's my seventeenth birthday. I'd be entering my seventh year here September first."

"We'll put you in seventh year then. We will have to disguise you. Your appearance would garner too many undesirable questions. How would you like to be my great-nephew?" Harry grinned. "Excellent. A change of hair and eye color should do it. Minerva will make sure you are in the appropriate classes. You and I will take a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow to make sure you have all your supplies. Our Potions Master, Alexander Lestrange, can make the potions -"

Harry's eyes narrowed at the name Lestrange. He felt a rage burn inside him and his magical energy grow. Last he had seen his godfather's murderer, Belletrix Lestrange, was still alive and free in the battle where he killed Voldemort. He barely noticed Minerva and Poppy both take a step back, eyes wide. "What relation is he to Rodolphus?"

Albus suddenly looked very serious. "He is his uncle. Rodolphus graduated last year."

Harry snorted. "That's one less Death Eater to worry about this year then. It may be in our best interest to brew any unusual potions ourselves, though it is not my best subject."

"Harry, the boy may not be a Death Eater yet, and his uncle may never be one," Poppy suggested.

Harry suddenly looked sad as he remembered the cause for the Lestranges' internment in Azkaban. "Rodolphus will be in Azkaban in less than six years time, I think, along with several current students. I don't know how much you want to know about that, though."

"Do not give us any more names of future Death Eaters Harry. If we treat the students any different than we normally do, we could create a paradox, or just hurry them on the road to darkness." Harry nodded. "What house are you in?"

"Gryffindor," Harry answered shortly. He had been a bit excited about meeting his parents, seeing Sirius again, and spending some time with Albus. Now, though, he remembered all the other people he would meet. Hogwarts would be lucky if he didn't attack a few of them. He'd have to be careful and steer clear of private encounters with Slytherins at all costs.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Minerva asked.

"I'm an animagus," Harry replied calmly, though inwardly very proud. Minerva had been his teacher for the transformation and with her help he had accomplished it in record time. All three adults looked astonished again. Harry concentrated and seconds later a magnificent creature replaced the boy on the bed. The feathers of an eagle's head gradually transitioned into the shiny golden fur of a lion. Harry stretched his eagle wings and flexed his paws, his claws sliding out and then retracting. His distinguishing characteristic was that two of the feathers on his forehead were pure white and angled to form a lightning bolt. He transformed back into himself.

"You're a griffin!" Albus looked delighted and picked up the feather that had been dropped on the bed. "May I keep this?" Harry nodded and moments later held back a choke of realization. "Magical creature animagi are very rare, not to mention sixteen year old animagi."

Harry laughed hilariously, "Not so rare as you might think!" He spoke before he thought, which was a common problem he had, and clamped his hand over his mouth, "Oh no."

"Something we should know Harry?" Albus questioned.

Harry mentally kicked himself. "You have to promise not to do anything about it. You don't find out about it until the end of my third year. I'd love for you to know later, because then he won't… but he might… and then he'd never…," Harry was feeling a bit panicky. If anything could cause a paradox, this could.

"You should probably tell us everything Harry. We'll just have to pretend we don't know," Albus stated in a soothing voice.

"Bugger. To start with, I know Remus Lupin is a werewolf..." Harry told the whole story of how his father, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew became animagi and the future results. He ended his story with the capture of Peter, Wormtail, by Ministry aurors during his sixth year. Sirius had been posthumously exonerated and awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class just as Peter had been in 1981. In Harry's opinion it was too little, too late. He finished his story bitterly and Minerva and Poppy were tearing. Harry was thankful he had left out his own adventures. He didn't want to see their reactions to those.

"I find it hard to believe that three of our students are unregistered animagi, and we cannot do a thing about it. On the other hand, it is good to know that Remus has company," Albus mused, the characteristic twinkle shining in his blue eyes.

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The trip to Diagon Alley was remarkably unremarkable. Harry took the potions that would make his hair blond and his eyes light blue before leaving the hospital wing so other teachers wouldn't see his true identity. Harry had been unable to find a concealing charm that could hide his scar, but he did manage to change its shape so that it was a long jagged line instead of a lightning bolt. Walking through Diagon Alley anonymously took some getting used to. While people were awed to see Albus Dumbledore, they did not give Harry a second glance. It was a unique and very welcome experience.

Though it had been three years since Harry had seen Diagon Alley, he discovered that it hadn't changer very much in twenty years. Most of the shops held the same businesses. All the same buildings stood in place. The only major difference was the overall look of the witches and wizards crowding the streets. He couldn't put a finger on it but Harry guessed it was the cut of the robes or some other such thing.

Harry was shocked at the enormous amount of gold in Dumbledore's vault until he reminded himself that Albus had helped Nicolas Flamel make the Sorcerer's Stone. One of its properties was the ability to create endless amounts of gold. They purchased robes, casual clothing, books, potion supplies, parchment, quills, and other supplies Harry might need. Harry was feeling spoiled, a feeling he had never been able to experience before. The headmaster seemed to be having a great deal of fun with the charade that Harry was his young orphaned relative. Albus even provided him with a large supply of sweets and a top of the line broomstick, once he learned Harry played quidditch, as a birthday present.

Back at the castle Minerva and Albus tested Harry to make sure the future's curriculum was not behind the present one. They were pleased to discover that Harry was well ahead of their current students in Transfiguration, Charms, and especially Defense Against the Dark Arts. His extra lessons during, and before, his sixth year advanced Harry far beyond N.E.W.T. level in many subjects. Though he was unaware of it, Harry had nearly completed the studies for auror training. There were even a number of spells he performed that they did not yet know. His duel with Flitwick, who was a dueling champion, was particularly enjoyable. Harry won to the shock of the very short Charms professor.

He was on par with them for Potions in his practical work but advanced in knowledge, much to his surprise, and equal in Astronomy. For fear of making a slip he would not be taking History of Magic and he had dropped Divination after his fifth year. He would read their current history textbooks, though, just in case. The extra classes he had taken up in sixth year were not offered yet so they made them an independent study with Albus.

"Minerva, what is happening now with Voldemort?" he asked. They were outside walking the grounds early in the morning. Even without the Voldemort induced nightmares Harry was having trouble sleeping. His regular nightmares were enough to keep anyone awake. After they had bumped into each other during their respective morning walks they had started walking together. It helped Harry recuperate from the battle on Privet Drive. The students would arrive the next week.

"He continues to attack Muggles and wizard families. Battles are being fought between aurors and Death Eaters every week. There are several students who have lost their parents, including your mother," she explained.

"Already? No wonder Aunt Petunia hates us," he said sadly.

Minerva raised her eyebrows, "She hates you?"

"Yes, and everyone and everything that has to do with magic. I lived in the cupboard under the stairs until I got my Hogwarts letter. Hagrid still had to track us down to deliver it. My uncle wouldn't let me read it," he explained. This was an old wound, long healed and pale in comparison to the more recent pains. Minerva looked deeply upset, though, so he changed the subject. "Who's on the Gryffindor quidditch team? I know my father played... plays."

Minerva smiled. This was a topic she could talk about for hours. Quidditch was one of her passions. "That's right. He's a chaser, and team captain, just as I was once. Sirius Black is a beater along with Nymphadora Tonks, his cousin. The two other chasers are Frank Longbottom and Anne Vector. The keeper is Ryan Weasley and the seeker... I think we need a seeker this year. Do you play?"

Harry's eyes lit up with that Dumbledore style twinkle, the resemblance made even more uncanny by his now blue eyes. "You made me a seeker my first year."

"I did WHAT?" she exclaimed.

Harry told the story of Neville's rememberall and his first time on a broom. They spent the rest of the morning telling quidditch stories. Harry described every game he had played at Hogwarts and Minerva did the same. She was a creative story teller and made her stories of the Hogwarts quidditch team from twenty-some years earlier spectacular. Oddly, they found themselves becoming friends. It was a strange situation for both of them.

The Minerva McGonagall Harry knew was twenty years older and much more severe and stern. Harry was much more mature than a seventh year student, even if he did still look fifteen. He had been forced to grow up too fast. Accompanied by grand hand gestures Harry also told her about the First Task in the Triwizard Tournament, when he had used his quidditch skills to get past a Hungarian Horntail dragon. She gasped when he told her about the gash on his shoulder from the dragon's tail and showed her the scar. After that conversation they flew together every day.

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	3. Chapter 3

Healing

Part Three

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Harry looked in a mirror, still not used to what he saw. The potion had made his hair light blond, though not as white as Malfoy's, and a bit longer with streaks of a darker honey blond. The thick, wavy strands fell to his chin, no longer hiding his scar. It was long enough to tie back in a short ponytail that curled to brush his collar, though he preferred to tie back just enough to keep it out of his face. His eyes were bright blue. He had magically corrected his vision during sixth year so he didn't need his glasses anymore.

What was hardest for Harry was that when he looked in the mirror, instead of seeing his father looking back as he was accustomed, he saw Albus Dumbledore. A suspicion grew in Harry's mind that the Dumbledore and Potter lines were related, as their facial structure was very similar. He ran a brush through his hair, able to tame it for the first time in his life, and left the room in his plain black robes. It felt strange that he wasn't wearing Gryffindor colors, but that would change tomorrow. He could wait that long.

He walked down to the entrance hall where he had to meet Minerva and the first year students. All transfer students had to get sorted. He reviewed his story in his head until he was sure he remembered all the details. The fewer people he had to memory charm the better. The scene in the entrance hall was very disconcerting. Many of the people entering the school looked just like their children or nieces and nephews that would attend Hogwarts in twenty years, but with slight differences. The scene was almost surreal.

Harry picked out Ryan Weasley immediately. He looked exactly like Charlie, but with a different nose and no dragon burn scars. Lucius Malfoy was a carbon copy of Draco Malfoy, but he wore his hair longer. Severus Snape walked in behind Lucius, clearly in the other boy's shadow, looking almost identical to his future self but shorter and with a straighter nose. Harry felt his jaw clench at the sight of Belletrix Black. She was walking in with her little sister Narcissa who Harry guessed was a fifth year student. Harry would definitely have to do his best to avoid all Slytherins.

The atmosphere in the entrance hall changed dramatically when the Marauders walked in. They were loud, happy, and exuberant. Looking at the four boys it was almost impossible to believe that one of them was werewolf, and three years later one would be dead, betrayed by yet another of them, and the final one wrongly imprisoned. One of them noticed Harry and nudged the others, whispering and pointed. _Sirius is about as subtle as a ton of bricks,_ Harry thought fondly. Harry smiled and waved. They all waved back and James's eyes went wide. He whispered animatedly to his friends as they disappeared into the Great Hall.

Minerva McGonagall led Harry and the first years into the Great Hall.

"We have a transfer student this year. Harry Jameson is joining us for his seventh year and I expect a warm welcome for him from all of you." Minerva gestured towards the stool with the sorting hat.

Harry walked up to it, trying not to laugh at Dumbledore's little joke with his last name. He picked up the sorting hat and sat on the stool, placing the hat on his head. It fit much better than it had his first year. Harry had a moment of panic, remembering that the hat almost put him in Slytherin.

_Ah, so you're the one Albus was telling me about. He tells me I'm not allowed to actually sort you. He says I have to wait fourteen years._ Harry waited, silently thanking Albus for his intervention with the hat.

_I can see why I put you in Gryffindor, though you would do justice to any house. I almost put you in Slytherin, you say? Yes, you would have done well there if you had been originally sorted into Salazar's house, though not anymore. Well, since you insisted, or will insist… _GRYFFINDOR!

Harry smiled and Minerva called the first new student. Harry left the hat on the stool and walked to the Gryffindor table amidst cheers. He sat down by the Marauders. He was pleased to see his mother and father sitting together and guessed they had just started dating. As he sat down next to Remus, Sirius reached over the table to James.

"That's twenty sickles to me Prongs. You said he'd go to Ravenclaw," Sirius declared loudly so as to be heard over the Ravenclaw table next to them as they cheered their first new house member.

James grumbled and pulled out some coins to drop in Sirius's hand. He brightened up quickly and introduced himself to Harry. "I'm James Potter, or Prongs as you've already heard and Head Boy. The lovely lady next to me is our Head Girl Lily Evans," she blushed and smiled at Harry. "The goof taking my money is Sirius Black, otherwise known as Padfoot. Next to you is Remus Lupin, also Moony. This here is Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew."

He shook all their hands. It was difficult to treat Wormtail normally, but his hatred of the man this boy would become was tempered by the image of his sentencing. Harry remembered watching the fear on Pettigrew's face as the Dementor approached, and hearing his mum's screams in his head, and then the dead look as only a shell of a man remained after the kiss sucked the soul out of his mouth. He snapped back to the present, or was it the past, when he heard his name.

"Harry? We lost you for a minute there. Where'd you go?" James was talking.

"Sorry. It was a... tough summer. Voldemort," everyone within hearing flinched, "killed my parents." Albus had earlier instructed Harry. The easiest way to lie was to tell the truth.

Remus squeezed his shoulder. Lily reached a hand out and he took it, feeling comfort from all sides. The sight of Albus's body falling to the killing curse as Voldemort laughed popped into his head. The truth was even truer than he realized. It was like he had lost a father again this summer.

"How did you get that scar?" Peter asked.

"There was this curse…" he let his voice trail off.

"You were there?" Lily asked incredulously.

Harry just nodded, not trusting himself to talk anymore. He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip hard, trying to compose himself. A hand gripped his other shoulder. The touch was familiar. Twelve years in Azkaban would not change it. Sirius must have changed seats to sit next to him. He felt a pang of guilt but pushed it away. He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes, his neutral mask firmly fixed in place.

"So, do any of you play quidditch?" he asked, knowing the kind of conversation that would spark.

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Breakfast the next morning was a much happier meal. Harry was regaled with tales of spectacular last minute goals and saves, continuing the conversation from the previous night. The rest of the quidditch team made its way over to them once the food was gone and a strategy session ensued. James was the team Captain. The players on the other teams were pointed out to Harry. After Lily tried to get James's attention three times with no success she just shook her head, gave Remus a look, and left to join the other girls in her year.

It turned out Ryan Weasley was the youngest Weasley in his generation. His father was a cousin of Arthur's father. He was a fifth year, and a new prefect. Anne Vector was in her seventh year so she shared a dorm with Lily until this year. Tonks was a third year and Frank Longbottom was in sixth. Tonks hit Sirius for introducing her to Harry using her first name and knocked over a pitcher of pumpkin juice in the process. Harry was the first to react and cleaned it up quickly.

"Fast on the draw. It looks like we have a good one for the dueling club. Now if he's as fast on a broom as he is with his wand..." Sirius said.

"What kind of broom do you fly Harry?" Tonks asked, fidgeting in her seat.

"Comet 240, Uncle Albus bought it for me," he answered.

"HA! I told you Sirius Black! Fork it over," James got his revenge.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at James and passed over two galleons. "Uncle Albus? What's the relationship? He's too old to be an actual uncle."

"He's my Great-Uncle," Harry responded.

"How come you're only starting Hogwarts now?" Ryan wanted to know.

"My parents liked to travel a lot," _hey, anything was possible_. "They taught me at home, or rather in whatever hotel we were staying in at the time. They were going to have me come here for this year anyway so I could take my N.E.W.T.s."

"I just thought of something!" Sirius said.

"That's a first Padfoot." Remus taunted with a grin.

"Hey, my grades aren't that bad. I might actually qualify for auror training," Sirius responded.

"We know Padfoot. You just pretend to be stupid to get the girls," James said, "not that it works," he amended with a grin. "So what's this epiphany?"

"Well, your name is James..."

"That's an epiphany?" Sirius smacked James.

"...and Harry's last name is Jameson, son of James!" Harry almost choked on his pumpkin juice as the rest of the table burst out laughing. For a moment Harry began to panic, thinking they had caught on to Dumbledore's joke. He belatedly realized they had, but not to the depth that it actually ran.

Lily heard the commotion and came back to see what was so funny. When Remus told her she grabbed Sirius's arm and dragged him out of the Great Hall, a very angry look on her face. He looked chastised when they came back to the table. Harry suspected that Lily had firmly lectured him for joking about his parents. Little did she know she was talking about herself and her boyfriend. Harry looked up to the head table and saw Dumbledore watching them. He forced a smile and the headmaster smiled back.

The first class he had was Astronomy. Lily and Remus were the only other seventh year Gryffindors in the class. They teamed up on him on the way to class.

"We're sorry about Sirius, Harry," Lily began.

"He really is smarter than he appears." Remus said.

Harry stopped walking and faced them. He felt odd. They were trying to explain the Marauder he knew best. "It's okay. He means well, but he just doesn't think before he talks."

Remus and Lily both looked at him with wonder. Harry decided he shouldn't have said anything. He wasn't really supposed to know any of them. He attempted some damage control; "It's obvious, like James would do anything for Lily, and Remus is the quiet, thoughtful one."

"You're pretty good at reading people." Remus said, sounding reluctant.

Lily started, "We're going to be late if we don't hurry. We have to get all the way to the other side of the castle."

Harry's first day of classes wasn't bad. Astronomy picked up pretty much where he had left off. They reviewed some basic key positions of the stars and began learning navigation. Not all wizards passed their appartion tests and had to rely on brooms and the Floo Network for travel. Navigation by the stars was a useful skill, especially if a wizard missed their apparation point and had to figure out where they were. Just to throw them a bit the ceiling of the classroom was charmed to show the Southern Hemisphere at midsummer.

They had Transfiguration that afternoon and started on complex human transformation. It was mostly a lecture. The practical lesson would be the following week. McGonagall explained the process of becoming an animagus in much more detail than her lessons to third year students. She stressed the importance of registering the animagus form with The Ministry and the dangers of attempting the transformation without guidance. Harry guessed that was her attempt to lecture her wayward students. He made a point not to catch her eye during the lesson. It was hard enough to ignore the sniggers coming from James and Sirius. If he looked at Minerva he would start laughing, too. Harry amazed the Marauders with his practical knowledge in Transfiguration and Charms.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts each student was tested at the beginning of the first class as the professor was new that year. Harry impressed everyone by winning a duel against Professor Martins. He was very careful to use only the spells that Minerva and Albus had recognized. A few minutes into the duel the Professor had recognized Harry's skill level and they began dueling in earnest. Within five minutes Harry had disarmed the professor and earned twenty-five points for Gryffindor.

The next full moon was still a few weeks away. Harry was trying to figure out how to reveal to the Marauders that he was an animagus. He knew they must be worried about leaving him alone in the room all night without getting suspicious. He was an insomniac ever since Sirius died and at least one of them must have noticed. Harry had caught them whispering a few times, only to stop when they noticed Harry approaching. Remus always looked annoyed with his friends at these times.

Harry suspected that he was trying to convince them to stay away for this month at least and they were refusing. Remus was stubbornly independent. It had taken months for Harry to convince Remus to let Harry join him as a griffin during the full moon. He eventually decided that the direct approach was the best one, but he would have to wait until after the full moon. There weren't enough clues for anyone to figure it out yet.

Quidditch tryouts were the second Saturday after classes started. Harry was yearning to play again. He hadn't flown since his summer practices with Minerva and was itching to get back on a broom. He hadn't been able to fly as a griffin either. After two weeks he felt like he was chained to the ground. He hadn't gone that long without flying in over a year. After learning the disillusionment charm and getting a special dispensation from the Ministry to perform magic during the summer, he had gone flying in his animagus form frequently at the Dursleys' house. There were only three people trying out for the empty seeker position. Harry was up against a third year student and a forth year student.

James had the entire team flying during the tryouts. The beaters were aiming strictly for the potential seekers and the chasers and keeper were practicing regularly. All three potential team members had to try to be the first to the snitch. Harry kicked off the ground quickly, relishing the feel of the wind whipping through his hair. He had tied it all back tightly, something he never had to do before, to keep it out of his face. With an expert eye he searched for the snitch while keeping an eye on the other two potentials. One of them, the forth year, was not a very good flier. He would be easy to beat. The third year was pretty good on her broom. She looked for the snitch carefully, but wasn't paying enough attention to the other seekers.

Harry decided to have a little fun. It wasn't a very fair contest, as Harry had played seeker for four and a half years as quidditch was cancelled during the Triwizard Tournament and he was banned during his fifth year. He whipped his broom around and shot towards the ground. He was pulling a Wronski Feint, though he wasn't sure if it was called that yet. Both students trying out saw him dive and followed, thinking he had seen the snitch.

He wasn't sure how quickly the broom could brake, so he pulled up before he normally would. As he was rising he heard one of the two others crash and winced. It was probably the forth year boy. He turned and saw that the third year girl had pulled out of her dive just in time. She hadn't been flying as fast as Harry. Lily was watching and ran onto the field to take care of any possibly injuries. The boy was just a little stunned and got back on his broom.

As he continued to rise out of the dive he caught a flash of gold behind the chasers. He dodged a bludger aimed in his direction by Sirius. They had picked out that he was the better flyer and were singling him out with the bludgers. As he shot toward the snitch he ducked to avoid the other bludger. He kept his body low against his broom for better aerodynamics. He spiraled and turned to avoid the black balls that Tonks and Sirius were hitting in his direction, but kept his eyes trained on the snitch.

The snitch was almost between the two chasers, who had not seen it. Harry came up right behind them and saw another bludger headed his way. If he caught the snitch he would get hit. He accepted the danger as he had been hit many times in his life already, enough so that Poppy would be in waiting whenever he played. He stretched out his hand and his fingers closed around the tiny metal ball. The white wings beat against his closed fist. Harry heard someone yell his name as a bludger hit his right shoulder.

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	4. Chapter 4

Healing

Part Four

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He heard a snap and knew that bone was broken. His flight path took him between the chasers, who had slowed when they heard the bludger hit. By the location of the pain, Harry guessed his collarbone was broken. He took deep regular breaths to help fight the pain as an older Remus had taught him one evening in the hospital wing. Werewolves understood pain. He landed and took the snitch out of his right hand with his left. Moving his right arm from its position across his chest would be a very bad idea right now. Most of the team landed and crowded around him. Tonks ran up to him as soon as she landed, after tripping over her broom and then her beater's bat. Sirius, Ryan Weasley, and Frank Longbottom were chasing after the bludgers to get them back in the box.

"Harry! I'm so sorry! Why didn't you dodge?" Tonks looked distraught.

"It's okay Tonks, just a collarbone. I had to catch the snitch. Seekers are the players injured most often in quidditch. It happens," he said. That sort of thing was normally accompanied by a shrug and his shoulders instinctually attempted it. That pain made him wince and he was sure all the color drained from his face as the world swam out of focus for a moment before righting itself.

Lily took his right arm in her right hand and placed her left hand on the small of his back. "You're going to the hospital wing. Quidditch!"

"Hold on a sec," he said between consciously spaced breaths. "James!"

"Harry?" James responded, looking worried.

Harry held out the snitch with a forced smile. James took it and smiled back. Harry let Lily lead him back up to the castle while the team discussed the tryout. The result was pretty obvious, but it would mean adding a forth seventh year student to the team. Four players was a lot to lose at the end of the season.

"That must hurt a lot Harry," Lily said, concern in her voice.

Harry's heart almost melted at his mother's obvious care for him. He forced a smile, "I've had worse. Cruciatus hurts much more."

Lily stopped in her tracks, almost causing Harry to trip. He was an excellent flier, but all grace departed when his feet touched the ground. If it wasn't for Lily's hold on him Harry would have fallen flat on his face. As it was his shoulder shifted, sending waves of pain through him. He had to blink several times before he could focus on Lily again. She stood there staring at him, eyes wide, for at least a minute before managing to speak. He winced under her scrutiny.

"You've been under the Cruciatus Curse?" she asked incredulously.

"Er, yeah, a few times," he mumbled. He wasn't supposed to talk about things like that. The pain must be affecting his thought process.

"Who did that to you? They're in Azkaban now, right?" she demanded, furious that someone had performed an Unforgivable Curse on him.

"No, he's not, but not for lack of trying on the Ministry's part."

"Who… Not… Not _Him_?" Lily gasped.

Mix a little truth with the lie, Harry reminded himself. "Yeah, he was after my parents and me. They weren't just a random attack."

"Oh, Harry! That must have been terrible. How did you get away?" Lily's eyes were tearing in sympathy.

"I'm not sure. I probably just got lucky. I didn't think I was going to survive. It was a huge battle," Harry's mouth was on automatic. The final battle was replaying in his mind and nothing he could do would stop it. "I saw him fall. The flash of green light just hit his chest and he fell. I'll never get used to seeing that, no matter how many times I have. One moment I was fighting, and then the next there was all this pain. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital wing. I didn't know where I was but Albus and Minerva were both there."

"Lily? Harry?" a familiar voice said.

"Moony?" Harry's brain was still on automatic and he was less than lucid as it was.

A hand touched his right shoulder lightly, but it was enough to bring Harry crashing back to reality. He sucked in a breath and almost fell to his knees. Remus caught his arms and held him up.

"What is going on here?" he demanded irately.

"Harry! I forgot about your shoulder! I'm so sorry!" The flow of tears falling from Lily's eyes increased.

Harry bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood and steadied himself. He reached out his left arm to lean on Remus. "Don't worry about me Lily. I'm a magnet for trouble. If I don't get hurt once a month I start to wonder if something's wrong."

They started for the hospital wing again, Harry letting Remus support most of his weight.

"No one answered my question," Remus pointed out.

"Quidditch Remus, what else?" Lily said. She clearly disapproved of all the injuries quidditch resulted in.

"I don't know why you go to practices Lil. You end up bringing someone up here at least twice a month," Remus observed. "So, did Harry make the team?"

"After that performance he must have. I've never seen anyone fly like that," she described the tryouts as they neared the hospital wing. She didn't tell Remus about the conversation in the entrance hall and Harry was thankful for her discretion. He had told her much more than he intended.

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"Harry's the new seeker for Gryffindor. Apparently he let a bludger hit him just so he could catch the snitch. Lily Evans was quite upset," Minerva informed the headmaster.

They were sitting in his office on Saturday evening after curfew talking over tea, their weekly ritual for many years now. It had started when Albus was helping Minerva develop her curriculum for her first year of Transfiguration classes. Lily had been to see her after Poppy shooed her and Remus from the hospital wing. The Head Girl had asked what Minerva knew about the deaths of Harry's parents. After hearing that Minerva knew all the details Lily broke down and told her the whole conversation she and Harry had in the Great Hall earlier. Minerva knew the girl wouldn't breathe a word to her friends but needed someone to talk to. The young professor also realized that Harry had been talking about Albus, not his parents.

"She is a very sensitive young lady," Albus said as he placed a lemon drop in his mouth.

"I am more worried about Harry," she began.

Albus looked at her over his spectacles, not responding. His gaze just urged her to continue.

"Lily told me Harry has been under the Cruciatus Curse more than once. He let it slip, probably distracted by his shoulder injury. I'm afraid the boy has been through much more than he lets on," she said. Her growing affection for Harry made this concern even more potent than it would be for any other student.

"I doubt Harry has ever been just a boy. He seems much more adult than any of his current classmates, even those who have been touched by this war. He also must have had special training to get to the skill level he exhibits. I have no doubt that he could hold his own against a team of aurors." Albus continued to suck on his lemon drops.

"I am sure you are right Albus." She paused, wondering whether to express her opinion on the next matter, and sipped her tea. "Have you found a way to send him back?"

"I may have," he temporized.

"I don't think we should tell him just yet," she stated. It had been difficult to suggest.

Albus raised his eyebrows at her in inquiry.

"He's in pain Albus. In Harry's time nearly everyone he loves is dead. He watched Voldemort kill you right before he got here. Have you looked at his eyes when he looks at you? They're full of pain and longing. You are his mentor. He loves you. When he gets back the only adult left for him is Remus Lupin," she explained.

"He will also have you Minerva," Albus reminded her.

She swallowed hard. She had been considering this. "We don't know that Albus. Harry will cast memory charms on us before he leaves. We have no idea what my future relationship is with him. I'm not known for getting close to students."

"It strikes me that Harry is not just any student Minerva," Albus observed.

"I know the women in my family Albus. I know what I'll be like in twenty years. It's highly unlikely that I'll befriend a boy forty-three years my junior," it hurt her to admit. She actually hoped that her future self would not be the stern and forbidding McTavish matriarch.

"What do you suggest we do Minerva?" Albus asked.

"Give the boy time to heal. Spend some time with him so he has a chance to say goodbye. Let him get to know his parents and say goodbye to them and to Sirius Black. So many people were ripped from his life, and now he has a chance to be with them again. I would be surprised if he asked us anytime soon about going back. He did leave there in the middle of a battle. For all he knows he will find both Remus and me dead when he gets back." She was nearing tears at the thought.

"Very well Minerva. We will not bring up the subject. If Harry asks, though, we will not lie to him. We are not going to keep him in this time if he asks to return to his own." Albus looked very stern as he said this.

"You have figured out how to send him back," Minerva accused.

"Yes Minerva. It involves a very difficult spell, and a potion is required as well. I will have to brush up on my potions skills before I attempt it since Harry insists we cannot use Alexander. Even if Harry wanted to go back today he couldn't. It will take at least a month before we are ready." He looked at her with his probing gaze before saying anything else. "You may go to the hospital wing if you are satisfied here."

Albus always knew exactly what she was thinking. She was sure he knew everything she was going to say this evening and had framed his questions to draw her opinions out. She walked to the hospital wing where she knew she would find Harry sleeping. He looked peaceful in his bed, doubtless from Poppy forcing Sleeping Potion down his throat. Harry's right arm was bound to his chest, to keep him from moving it and disturbing his mending bones.

Healers could repair breaks in bones, but they were still tender and fragile for a week or so. His left arm rested over his covers. Minerva took his left hand and held onto it, settling back into her chair. The sound of the door to the wing opening startled her and she let go. She relaxed when she saw Remus Lupin walk in. As a prefect he was technically allowed to patrol after curfew and with the amount of time he spent in the hospital wing Poppy was very fond of him.

"Mr. Lupin, I take it you are here to visit Mr. Jameson." she said.

"Professor! I didn't know you were here," he looked a little frightened. Remus was very conscientious. She had been more surprised that he had known his friends were illegal animagi than she had been that they became so. Nothing James Potter and Sirius Black could do would surprise her.

"Don't fret Mr. Lupin. You are not in any trouble. Why are you visiting so late?" she inquired. Lily had said she was the only one Harry had told about the battle. She also mentioned that he seemed a bit dazed when he spoke about it, like he was reliving it. Minerva wondered if he had opened up to Remus as well.

"There's just something about him. I'm sure he's keeping things, important things, from us. He's a very bad liar. Still, I can't help but trust him. There's something about him," he repeated quietly, looking at the sleeping boy.

"There certainly is Mr. Lupin," Minerva said.

"Do you think I could tell him?" Remus asked nervously. "You never know how someone will react."

"You are considering telling him?" Minerva was amazed. Remus had only known Harry a few weeks and apparently his best friends had been kept in the dark for over a year.

"I don't know. What if..." Remus did not finish his speculation.

"I don't think you have to worry about that Mr. Lupin. I am fairly certain Mr. Jameson will not judge you," she said as ambiguously as possible.

A bloodcurdling scream from the bed interrupted any continuation of the conversation. Poppy came tearing out of her quarters and Remus backed up against the wall, clearly startled. Harry was thrashing on the bed. Poppy and Minerva both bent over him, trying to still him without further injury to his shoulder. He stilled and the screaming stopped. The two women backed away, relieved and worried at the same time. He woke up and his right hand instantly went to his forehead, to the jagged scar. The binding holding his arm in place had vanished. The movement must have caused pain but he showed no sign that it did.

"I thought it was gone, because he's dead... but he's not here," Harry muttered to himself.

"Harry?" Minerva said, laying a hand on his uninjured shoulder.

"Minerva? I thought Poppy gave me Dreamless Sleep. I shouldn't be dreaming," he said.

"What's Dreamless Sleep?" Remus spoke up from the corner.

"Moony?" Harry said. Minerva suspected he was still mostly asleep.

"Never you mind," Poppy said, guiding the young werewolf out. "Now get back to your own bed."

Once Remus was out of earshot Minerva addressed Harry, "There is no such thing as a potion called Dreamless Sleep Harry, not here anyway."

"Oh bloody hell, I did it again. My defenses are all screwed up here. I'll have to brew some on my own later if the nightmares are back." He lowered his right arm and winced. "I'll take some pain potion if you've got it, though. Tell Albus Voldemort isn't happy about something."

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	5. Chapter 5

Healing

Part Five

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The full moon came and went. Harry suspected he had enough information to confront Remus now. Once you knew what to look for werewolves were very easy to spot. To make matters easier they had confronted a boggart in Defense Against the Dark Arts. As Harry had never figured out how to make a dementor amusing he had to perform the Patronus Charm or suffer through the sounds of his parents' deaths.

He had gotten another strange look from Remus after that. After all, his patronus took the same form as James's animagus form. Sirius, James, and Peter had not been paying close enough attention to see the form his patronus took or all four of them would have teamed up on him for some answers. He suspected that if he did not confront Remus soon Remus would take care of it for him, or tell the others.

His chance came the Saturday after the full moon. Quidditch practice had been cancelled due to a torrential downpour. They were going to start training the third year girl that had tried out for the seeker position, Jessie Abbott, as a replacement for the next season. James, Sirius, and Peter had gone to raid the kitchens. Remus had said he wasn't hungry and Harry jumped at the opportunity. He said he had some homework he wanted to do and stayed behind as well.

Lily and Anne were studying with some friends from Ravenclaw in the library, but the common room was still pretty crowded. Harry and Remus were sitting on a couch by the fire, where Harry normally sat with Ron and Hermione. The memory brought a lump to his throat. Did they know he was missing? Was he missing? Were they even still alive? Harry would not put it past Voldemort to have the Burrow attacked while he attacked Harry.

"Remus, can we talk about something?" Harry asked quietly.

Remus looked at Harry in surprise. He clearly hadn't expected Harry to begin the conversation they were both looking for, "Sure. Want to go up to the dorm? It's empty with the other guys down in the kitchens."

Harry nodded and got up. They headed up the stairs to the room the seventh year boys shared. James, as Head Boy, had a private room, so Harry got his old bed. It was next to Sirius. Remus and Peter were across the room. They both sat on Harry's bed and neither one seemed to want to start the conversation. Harry drummed up his courage, after all he was a Gryffindor and he had defeated Voldemort, so what was so hard about this?

"Remus, I know," Harry started.

"Know what?" Remus seemed a bit jumpy.

"You're a werewolf," he rushed on before Remus could deny it, "but it doesn't bother me! One of my parents' closest friends is a werewolf." _And he's sitting right in front of me_, Harry thought.

"It didn't bother them?" Remus asked, amazed.

"No. They loved him for who he was. They didn't care what he was. He's like an older brother, or good friend to me," Harry explained.

He wanted to tell Remus everything. Of all the Marauders, Remus would understand. His experience as a werewolf had forced him to grow up faster than his friends, as Harry's experiences with Voldemort had done the same to him.

"I can't tell you how much that means to me Harry. There's something I've wanted to talk to you about, though," Remus said nervously.

"I'll try to answer any question I can. There are some things..." Harry wanted to reach out. Remus was such an important part of his life, especially since Sirius died. He had been instrumental in Harry's private lessons. "There some things I can't talk about, as much as I want to."

Remus nodded. "What's Dreamless Sleep?"

"It's a sleeping potion that keeps you from dreaming," Harry stated.

"There's no such thing. I checked the potions books in the library. I even got a pass for the restricted section," Remus said.

"No surprise there," Harry muttered, knowing that Remus's affinity for the library was rivaled only by Hermione's.

"What?"

"It just seems like something you would do." Harry rushed his explanation.

"How did you know I'm a werewolf?" he asked.

"Well, your eyes are kind of amber, you're sick after the full moon and no one was here that night. I am an insomniac you know. Your boggart is the full -"

Remus interrupted Harry, "How do you know what my boggart is?"

"We tackled one in Defense -"

"I didn't," Remus's eyes narrowed and Harry saw something there he had never seen from the werewolf before. Distrust.

"You didn't?" Harry squeaked. _Bloody hell,_ Harry thought. He had messed up again.

"I wouldn't get anywhere near one here. Someone might figure out what it means," Remus sounded like he was getting a little angry. "What is going on Harry? You're not who you say you are."

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Harry tried to think of some way to get out of this. After he had faced the boggart he had been exhausted. He assumed that every student had faced it. Remus must have avoided it, probably with some help from the professor just like Remus had done for Harry thinking that Voldemort would appear in the staff room as Harry's boggart. He couldn't think of a way to cover his tracks.

He had finally learned Occlumency, but never succeeded at Legilimency, so that would work as an excuse. Harry drew his legs up to his chest and dropped his head on his knees in defeat. Tears started to well up in his eyes but he refused to cry, as he had for at least ten years. He could keep lying, and probably lose a friend, or tell the truth and maybe create a paradox. It was not a choice he wanted to make.

Harry felt the mattress shift as Remus moved. A hand started rubbing his back in comforting circles. Remus must be sitting next to him. Harry knew he could trust the Remus he knew with this, but could the younger Remus handle it? Telling him would risk permanently altering history, potentially for the worst. There was only one way to find out.

"My name's not Jameson," he admitted quietly.

"What was that Harry?" Remus's breathe tickled Harry's ear.

Harry lifted his head and spoke more clearly, "My name's not Jameson. I'm not related to Albus, at least not directly. My hair isn't blond and my eyes aren't blue."

"Who are you?" Remus asked in a soft, reassuring voice.

"When would you say I was born?" Harry asked warily.

"1960 or 1961, like the rest of us," Remus answered, clearly confused at the turn the conversation had taken.

"My birthday is July 31, 1980."

Remus gaped at him, "That's impossible."

"I have proof."

Remus raised his eyebrows. Harry launched into the story of how the Marauders became animagi. He told Remus about the Marauder's Map and the invisibility cloak. He explained how and when Remus became a werewolf. He described the incidents with Snape and his father in their fifth year. Remus's eyes became progressively wider as Harry spoke.

"You could have found that all out somehow. Maybe you're a legilimens," Remus suggested.

"No such luck," Harry shook his head. "I've managed Occlumency, but I can only turn it around when someone is attacking me. To succeed at Legilimency you have to want to invade the other person's privacy. I could never make myself do it."

"No, I still can't believe that," Remus whispered.

Harry got up and fished through his trunk until he found a worn wizard photograph. He handed it to Remus and the werewolf's eyes bugged.

"Is that Sirius? And me? We look so... old. Who are the kids? One of them looks just like James." Remus was awestruck.

After Sirius died Harry had taken to carrying around a photograph Ginny had taken at Grimmauld Place on summer holiday after his appearance before the Wizengamot. Sirius and Remus were standing in the back grinning. Harry was in front of them, flanked by Ron and Hermione. They were all so happy in that picture, right before everything went downhill. The haunted look that Azkaban had put in Sirius's eyes was barely detectable in his picture-self but it was still there. Harry used to take the picture out when he was thinking about Sirius.

"The one that looks like James is me, and that is Sirius, and you. It was taken at Number 12 Grimmauld Place not long after my fifteenth birthday. That was right before I started my worst year at Hogwarts, though it was still better than any year before Hogwarts. I had just been cleared on a charge of underage use of magic. You're the werewolf my parents were friends with." Harry said.

"Sirius swore he would never go back there. Wait a minute. James is your father! The patronus was Prongs! Your name is actually Harry Potter. Those eyes," he looked more closely at the picture, and then up at Harry, "are Lily's eyes. They actually get married?"

Harry nodded, the tears in his eyes getting harder to hold back. Remus looked both stunned and happy. His bubble would burst with his next question.

"Where are they?" Remus was staring at the picture, as if expecting James and Lily to enter it.

"They're dead. Less than a year from the time that picture was taken, Sirius was killed by his cousin Belletrix," Harry's voice sounded hollow. All the pain and guilt was coming back as fresh as it was at the end of his fifth year. Harry had been ignoring it, fighting it back as he got to know his parents and spend time with his godfather.

"And me? Peter?" Remus looked how Harry felt.

"Peter was given the dementor's kiss," Remus shuddered, "for betraying my parents and framing Sirius, then betraying Sirius and then you. I don't know about you. When I left…" Harry struggled to go on, "there was a battle. It was July 30, 1997. Voldemort killed Albus and I killed Voldemort," Remus's shock was apparent. "I think you were alive then but I don't know. There was a backlash of energy when Voldemort died and I blacked out. Minerva found me on the grounds here and I woke up in the hospital wing on my birthday."

Harry saw that Remus was crying, which he never seen the adult Remus do. Harry's iron control broke and the tears poured out of Harry full force. He had never cried for his parents, unless he had as an infant. He never cried for Cedric, or Sirius, or Malfoy. He never cried for Albus, save the single tear. He felt himself gathered into strong arms. The older Remus always felt he had to be strong for Harry. This Remus cried with him, letting Harry mourn. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep. When he did he was comfortable, held by Remus. He did not dream.

The next full moon was less than a week away. It would be just a few days before Halloween. Harry was excelling in all his classes and at quidditch. They had played against Slytherin and Harry had caught the snitch almost before the game had begun. Harry had so little to worry about here. He had classes and quidditch. There were no DA meetings, no Occlumency or dark arts lessons with Snape, and no training to defeat Voldemort.

He slipped away occasionally to spend time with Albus and Minerva. James, Sirius, and Peter said nothing about finding Remus and Harry sleeping in Harry's bed that afternoon, at least not to Harry. They also didn't comment that Remus seemed a little cooler towards Peter, though Peter had already been spending less and less time with the Marauders.

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Remus did tell Harry that he'd had a talk with Lily, as she was getting suspicious. He told her that he had talked with Harry and if what he said about the battle upset her, there was no way she wanted to hear the rest. She seemed to take that at face value and yelled at Sirius and James, though mostly Sirius, whenever they asked awkward questions.

Every day after the initial talk Harry had told Remus a little more. He started at the beginning and told everything as he had experienced it. Remus told Harry all about his parents and Sirius in return. Harry asked questions about Remus's childhood, as the adult Remus hadn't wanted to burden Harry. Harry had felt awkward bringing it up, but asked Remus if Sirius and James had really changed after the incident with Snape and the Shrieking Shack. Remus had been surprised that Harry knew about it, but after the initial shock wore off they had thoroughly discussed the issue. It seemed to benefit Remus as much as Harry to fully dissect the events that almost ruined the Marauders' friendship.

"When Sirius told that joke about Jameson I thought for a minute he had figured it out. I felt kind of bad that Lily yelled at him. She reminded me of Mrs. Weasley then," Harry grinned. Remus knew everything now.

"You are amazing," Remus said, once again sitting next to Harry on his bed. "I can't believe you've done all that."

"Moony!" Harry swiped at him and missed as Remus leaned back towards the headboard.

Remus grabbed a pillow and hit back. Harry grabbed another one and hit Remus over the head. The pillow fight progressed from the bed to the floor and the pillows eventually broke open. They were then discarded for more general wrestling. That was when Sirius and James got back from Arithmancy.

"Look Prongs, it snowed while we were gone!" Sirius threw a handful of down in the air.

"What are you two doing in here? I know I don't live here anymore, but I still don't approve of the redecoration." James said.

"Just a friendly little dispute," Harry said, picking feathers out of his hair and standing up. Long hair definitely had its disadvantages.

"Well you can just kiss and make up. We have Potions after lunch," Sirius reminded them.

"What?" Harry and Remus both spluttered.

"Potions... you know, the class with the annoying teacher that makes us all messy and smelly," James said with a grin and a glint in his eyes.

"Not that! We know what potions are!" Remus exclaimed.

"Kiss and make up? Come on, you know you've been dying to!" Sirius said, his mouth also stretching into a grin.

If Harry hadn't been so dumbstruck he would have thought about how much James and Sirius resembled Fred and George just then. They were wearing identical evil grins.

"WHAT?" two voices said as one.

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	6. Chapter 6

Healing

Part Six

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James and Sirius turned to look at each other. "I think our work here is done." Harry never knew which one said it.

Harry and Remus were staring at each other in shock.

"They're nuts!" Harry said.

"Completely," Remus agreed.

"We should call Mungo's."

"It would be for their own good."

"I mean, you're twenty years older than me!" Harry objected.

"Not here... and it's not that bad in the wizarding world with how long wizards live... but we're good friends!" Remus said.

"That's true," he paused. "So were Ron and Hermione."

"James and Lily were."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Harry realized in some small part of his mind that neither of them were commenting on the fact that they were both male. That suddenly didn't bother Harry. He knew he was attracted to girls. He kissed Cho in fifth year, and dated Susan Bones and Lisa Turpin, kind of, in sixth year. He and Hermione had kissed once in sixth year before she and Ron got together, and there was that kiss with Ginny, too.

There was no law that said he couldn't like both girls and guys. Harry had suspected for years that Charlie Weasley was attracted to guys but no one had ever brought it up. As his mind was rationalizing he didn't notice that he and Remus were sitting very close. He looked Moony right in the eyes. They were especially amber so close to the full moon. The amber eyes were looking back into his.

"I wish I could see your real eyes," Moony said.

"You can. It's just a spell," Harry said. He made sure the door was locked. It was actually a potion originally, but Harry hadn't wanted to tell Dumbledore he could do the same with a spell. The spells might not exist yet. He waved his hand in a small gesture and it felt like his hair was shrinking back into his head.

"Wow," Remus had never looked away from Harry's eyes. "You really do look just like James, except for the eyes. You're shorter too."

"Probably the cupboard," Harry muttered.

"I'd rather not think about that," Remus growled. Harry wondered if he had ever met Petunia.

"You don't want to be locked in the dark with me?" Harry teased.

Remus blushed. He leaned forward, and Harry felt lips claim his. They were soft and inviting. Harry ran his tongue over them and gently pushed into the other mouth. Remus pushed him back on the bed with a predatory growl. The wolf was very active so close to full moon. Harry let his griffin senses take over and saw a whole other side to Remus. The sensitive, intelligent, gentle boy had an animalistic roughness underneath. Harry drew that out and felt Remus gnaw on his lower lip, making Harry moan with desire. He pulled at the robes covering Remus until he found bare skin.

He ran his hands up Remus's perfectly smooth back under his shirt. The taught muscles were so different from a girl's. Remus pulled open Harry's robes and his hands explored Harry's clothed body. Harry slipped his hands inside Remus's trousers, finding the skin there just as smooth as the skin of his back. Remus pulled at Harry's shirt and all the buttons broke off, flying all over the room.

His mouth trailed down Harry's neck and found a sensitive spot that caused Harry to arch into him. Remus flicked his tongue against the spot and Harry moaned again, his trousers feeling very constrictive. He decided Remus was wearing far too many clothes. He pushed the robes off of Remus's shoulders and worked on his shirt. That was when all hell broke loose.

"_Alohamora! _Come on you two, we'll be late for... what the hell?" Sirius yelled.

James came running up the stairs to see what was wrong. "What's going… Polyjuice cannot do that!"

Harry panicked, pushed Remus off him, and ran into the bathroom off the bedroom, shutting and locking the door with a much more advanced spell than he had used on the dormitory door. None of them would be able to open the door. Not even Albus would be able to get through that lock. Harry looked in the mirror and saw Harry Potter, not Harry Jameson. He splashed cold water on his face and tried to calm himself.

He looked more closely and saw that his black hair was liberally mixed with white hairs. _When the bloody hell had that happened_? The he remembered the drain from casting a powerful killing curse and the shock wave of magic as Voldemort died. That was the only explanation Harry could come up with.

"Harry, come out here!" James was yelling and banging on the door.

"James calm down!" Remus practically growled.

"Why should he?" Sirius demanded. "Something very strange is going on here."

"Because he's Harry father!" Remus told them.

Remus told them. Bloody hell, Remus told them. Harry heard the yelling and the knocking stop. He fixed his mussed up clothes and tried to button his shirt, when he noticed there were no buttons. He conjured new buttons and closed the shirt, tucking it into his trousers. Any excitement had worn off completely. He closed his robes and heard muffled voices from the next room.

"Harry, are you coming out here or do I have to search your trunk for that picture?" Remus yelled through the door.

Harry unlocked the door and walked out. Sirius and James stared at him, not believing their eyes. He avoided meeting their gaze and unlocked and opened his trunk with a flick of his hand. He silently summoned the picture and handed it to them. Remus gently took Harry's hands in his and looked down at them, softly caressing them with his thumbs.

"You can use wandless magic?" he asked.

"Did you think I could kill Voldemort, twice, if I couldn't do a little wandless magic? I left my wand on the nightstand," Harry said in excuse. "I try not to do it too much. It's tiring and it can freak people out."

"That was a very advanced locking spell. None of us could open it. I didn't even recognize the one on your trunk." Remus reached up a hand to stroke Harry's cheek.

"Stop that!" James ordered.

"You were encouraging it twenty minutes ago!" Remus countered, not stopping his caress.

"Well a lot has changed since then. You're too old for him!"

"I don't think you have any right to decide that." Remus's answer was dangerously quiet.

"He's my son." James answered challengingly.

"And I'm the only one who lives long enough to stay with him!" Remus growled.

"Moony!" Harry growled as he yanked his hands away, furious. He glared at the werewolf.

"Harry, what is he talking about?" Sirius asked, his voice wavering.

Harry swayed, tired from too much advanced wandless magic. He gripped Moony's shoulder to stay upright. His gaze softened, "I have to rest. Fix this Moony."

Harry staggered to the bed and fell asleep the instant he hit the disarrayed pillows.

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"Harry. Harry," a soft familiar voice spoke. It sounded like... but it couldn't be. A hand gently shook his shoulder.

"Sirius? I thought you were dead," Harry hadn't been awakened by his godfather in so long. He opened his eyes and saw the seventeen-year-old Sirius sitting on his bed.

"Does Bella really kill me?" He asked.

"You're all getting memory charms, you know. If none of it happens, I might not kill Voldemort, or something even worse might happen," Harry said, sitting up and massaging his temples. He had a killer headache.

"How does it happen?" Sirius showed just a hint of the haunted look that Azkaban would put in his eyes. Harry started to think that life in the Black house had hurt Sirius much more than Harry had ever known. Sirius was holding the picture and looked down at his image. "How do I become this?"

"Twelve years in Azkaban will do that. It's a miracle you don't go insane. If it wasn't for Padfoot you probably would have," Harry hesitated, wondering how to tell someone about their death. He could really use Trelawney. She was a master at predicting death and held no qualms about informing people, Harry in particular, of their imminent demise.

"I don't think it hurt, but I don't really know. Voldemort tricked me," Harry ignored his godfather's flinch. "I thought he was torturing you in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. I went to save you and you came to save me. There was a battle," Harry swallowed, the images coming back. "You were dueling with her, and your back was to the veil. It's an archway that separates life and death. You taunted her, and she cursed you. You were so surprised that she got you, and you just fell backwards. I tried to go after you but Moony stopped me, so I went after her instead."

"You didn't..." Sirius could not complete the question, but it was unnecessary.

"No. I tried... I wanted to... but I couldn't even cast Cruciatus right," Harry explained.

"You cast an Unforgivable on another human?" Sirius looked horrified.

"It was the first time, but not the last. The Ministry didn't do a thing and it was right in their foyer by the Fountain of the Magical Brethren," Sirius still looked horrified. Harry snorted, "The whole Wizengamot, the entire court, tried me for underage magic, for protecting my cousin and myself against two dementors, the summer before but didn't do a thing when I used an Unforgivable. Sirius, the aurors right now have permission from the Ministry to use the Unforgivable Curses to bring Death Eaters in. They can use them indiscriminately so long as they _think_ they _might_ be attacking a Death Eater. Sometimes I didn't even use them when I knew I was facing a Death Eater. There was a prophecy that said I was the only one who could kill Voldemort. I had to hurt people to get the chance."

Harry remembered the blood spurting from Lucius Malfoy's throat. He hadn't believed he could kill anyone. He had to prove it to himself before he could try to kill Voldemort. There was no expression on Lucius Malfoy's face as his body fell beside that of his son, killed by the father. Harry had been too late to save Draco, but not to avenge him. He had been forced to kill a few Death Eaters in the final battle to get to Dumbledore. One of them had cast Cruciatus on him and the other was shooting Avada Kedavara at anything that moved.

Harry didn't notice that Sirius had crossed the space between their beds until he was pulled into a bear hug. Harry felt hot tears begin to fall down his cheeks again. This boy would become the closest thing to a father Harry would ever have and it was his fault he died. He hugged him back and let all the pent up guilt out.

"I'm so sorry Sirius! I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Harry repeated the words over and over.

"What for?"

"It's my fault Mum and Dad died. It's my fault you died. If I hadn't let Voldemort trick me-"

"Harry, there's nothing you could have done differently. From what you tell me I didn't have to go running to the Ministry myself. I have a tendency not to think before I act," Sirius said sadly. "I can't believe you risked your life for me."

"But you're my godfather. I love you," Harry said. As he did he realized he had never told Sirius that before. Never once had he told his godfather how much he meant to him. Telling him had released something inside Harry. It felt… cleansing.

Sirius laughed a little, "I'm still trying to adjust to that one."

"Where did Moony and James go?" he asked looking around for the other Marauders.

"Moony dragged us out of here and into Prongs's room. They kicked me out after he told us the basic story. I think Moony is giving Prongs a very loud, long lecture. He's really good at that once he gets going, especially at this time of the month. Did you really kill You-Know-Who?" he asked.

Harry nodded, "A killing curse was all it took. Well, I had to distract him first."

"Harry, I'm sorry."

Harry whipped around to see James standing in the doorway, Moony smiling behind him. Harry leapt out of the bed and tackled his father in a tight hug.

The four of them missed potions class that day, not even noticing until they looked at a clock. Lily had found the four of them talking on Harry's bed, lectured them all, and stormed out of the room after she returned from class. James chased after her with Harry's permission to explain everything. Harry had already reapplied his disguise before she got back. If Peter saw it could be disastrous. Harry was almost convinced that the fourth Marauder was already a Death Eater. He acted too much like his future self had.

While James was trying to woo back Lily, Harry went to Dumbledore's office to explain what had happened. He didn't tell Albus everything, but he did tell him that the Marauders, with the exception of Peter, knew. While Harry suspected that Albus knew about each person the boy who lived dated, they never discussed Harry's love life. It was too uncomfortable for Harry. The only person he could discuss those things with was Hermione, but she wasn't an option there.

On his way out of the headmaster's office he bumped into Minerva.

"Harry! How are you doing?" She put her hand on his chin and lifted his face to study it.

"I've been better. Is there somewhere we can talk?" He needed advice, and Minerva was the only one he could turn to. As much as he loved the headmaster there were just some things he couldn't tell him.

Half an hour later they were sitting in front of the fire in her sitting room drinking hot chocolate. That drink was much more therapeutic than tea. Harry had spilled his heart out to her. She was amazed that he would do so. She knew they had grown to be friends, but he was still a student in her house. She doubted any of the others would come to her like this.

"Do you love him Harry?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "I always have, ever since I was thirteen. It's different now, though. It's changing. I have to go back sometime. What will happen when I see him then? He won't even remember any of this."

"Harry, a memory charm can't change how someone feels. He may not remember what you had here, but he'll still love you. I'm guessing the Remus of the future is very confused and conflicted about his feelings for you," Minerva smiled.

"Thank you Minerva. I - I should get back." He stood up and hugged her. She pressed the blond haired boy close to her. He seemed so small and fragile. How could he contain so much power?

Harry wandered the corridors before heading back to Gryffindor. It was a habit he developed in the sleepless nights of his sixth year. He knew the corridors of the school better than any of the professors or students. He had added on to the Marauder's Map and it showed at least twenty rooms that didn't appear on the original.

He let his mind wander as he walked. The Marauders could probably use some time to themselves. This was a lot to handle and they could talk better without him there. He thought about life at home and wondered if Hermione and Ron had made it. He wanted to know that they were okay. He missed them.

"Hello Severus," he said as he passed Severus Snape, not thinking.

"What was that?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

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	7. Chapter 7

Healing

Part Seven

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Harry froze. Of all the people here that changed, Severus Snape probably changed the most. The Snape here was either already a Death Eater or on his way. He was not a spy for Albus. He was not on Harry's side of the war against Voldemort. Harry turned slowly, inwardly cursing his own stupidity. There were other Slytherins there that Harry had not noticed before.

Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Black, Rabastan Lestrange, and Severus Snape all had their wands pointed at Harry. The sight of people he knew to be ruthless killers in his own time made him furious. Before they could blink Harry had his own wand pointed back. In his sixth year he had taken to wearing it strapped to his forearm. A flick of his wrist and a silent summoning was all he needed.

"Afraid to be called by your given name? Should I just call you _Snivellus_?" Harry hated doing this. He wasn't friends with Snape by any stretch of the imagination, but they had built a grudging respect for each other. To a certain extent they understood one another. It felt wrong to do this.

"The new Gryffindor is fast on the draw. Does he handle his wand as well as he handles his broom, though?" Belletrix teased, not much different than she was after she was broken out of Azkaban. Harry figured the dementors couldn't drive someone crazy if they were already there.

"Better," Harry said, confident. He felt himself falling into battle mode. Hermione had told him that he exuded power when he did this, just like Albus.

The Slytherins all began to look a bit uneasy. Harry could use this.

"Blond hair and blue eyes aren't the only things that run in the family," he said slowly and coolly.

Rabastan uttered a harsh curse that bordered on dark arts. Instantly Harry conjured a handheld shield. The curse bounced off it with a gong and hit a wall, making a small black mark on the stone. He remembered that he was facing teenagers, not the adults they would become. He couldn't do anything that would hurt them, and that limited his choices. He heard footsteps running along the corridor.

Harry weighed his options. More Slytherins could be showing up and he wasn't sure how many of them he could hold off without using more powerful curses. In between blocking hexes he tapped himself on the head with his wand. He felt a sensation like ice slithering down his spine. The disillusionment charm would allow him to blend into the wall. The Slytherins wouldn't see him unless they knew what they were looking for.

"Where did he go?" Lucius asked, cursing.

The Slytherins were all looking around for him, not paying attention to the approaching footsteps. Five figures turned the corner and aimed their wands at the Slytherins.

"Cousin Bella, how nice to see you. I see my darling little brother isn't with you all today," Sirius said with false sincerity.

"You're no cousin of mine," she spat. "Your mother disowned you two years ago. Regulus is better off without you, blood traitor. You don't deserve the name Black."

"It seems I'm stuck with it, much as I despise it, but the money's not bad. Not even dear old Mum, may she rot in hell, can disinherit me. Having fun cursing the air? There's no one else here. Or were you just turning on each other like all your kind eventually do," he replied with burning hatred.

"Well, Jameson was here just a moment ago. It seems he ran away. Some Gryffindor," Severus sneered, joining the conversation.

"That's detention for all four of you, and ten points each from Slytherin. The four of you were attacking one student," James said, exercising his authority as Head Boy.

Harry slowly made his way over to Remus, who was standing closest to him of all the Marauders. He didn't like this situation. The tension in the air could break into a storm at any moment. He whispered in Remus's ear that he was there and gently touched the other boy's back. Thankfully, he did not react.

"So what happens if we attack five?" Rabastan asked.

"I don't think you really want to find out," Remus said in a very low rumbling tone, staring directly at Severus.

Severus backed up, clearly afraid. There was just enough of a tremor to show.

This time Belletrix attacked first. She aimed her curse at Sirius. Harry reacted purely on instinct. He had seen her kill Sirius once. This confrontation was his fault. It should never have happened, so its outcome was unpredictable. If someone got hurt, on either side, this could really create a paradox.

He threw his conjured shield spinning through the air to deflect the curse. It clattered to the ground at Lucius's feet. The Gryffindors all stepped back. They must have felt Harry's anger as he stepped in front of his parents, godfather, lover, and their betrayer. He cast a shielding charm that encased the Gryffindors and would absorb any of the hexes or curses that the Slytherins would risk using in the school.

Harry began to speak an incantation, using the advantage of the Slytherins' fear. They didn't know where he was. They could just feel his presence and hear his voice. The sound of his voice bounced off the stone, making it difficult to tell exactly where he was. Vines began to rise out of the floor, weaving themselves into a cage around the Slytherins who could do nothing to stop them.

_Expelliarmus!_ Four wands flew to his outstretched hand. He was casting silently to instill more fear in the Slytherins. _Stupefy!_ The four attackers fell to the ground, cushioned by their flora prison. He dropped the wands on the ground out of their reach and tapped himself on the head again. Warmth trickled down his back as he became visible once more. He turned to face the Gryffindors as his body gradually appeared before them. They were all wide eyed. Peter looked particularly afraid.

Lily snapped out of it first and ran forward to hug him. "James told me," she whispered in his ear. "I can't believe you've held it in all this time."

He hugged her back and closed his eyes, accepting the comfort she offered and allowing the shield to drop. He felt more arms wrap around them. They stood in a group hug for several minutes. When they broke apart Peter was the only one with dry eyes.

"What is going on with all of you?" Wormtail asked.

Remus shrugged, "Must be the wrong time of the month."

They all burst into laughter and the tension bled out of the area. James looked back at the vine cage.

"How did you do that Harry?" James asked.

"I'm more interested in the disappearing act." Peter said thoughtfully.

Harry did not want to be the one to teach him that spell, or any other, "The vines are a simple incantation. Most people wouldn't think of using it to trap other people. And as Uncle Albus says, I don't need an invisibility cloak to become invisible," he raised his eyebrows and smiled mysteriously. He knew his eyes were twinkling just like Albus's did.

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Minerva watched the Gryffindor table during her breakfast. As the Head of House it was not at all unusual, but she was concentrating on one student in particular rather than the table as a whole. She knew that Harry was feeling a mixture of relief and guilt from telling the Marauders, or most of them anyway, his true identity.

It appeared to be working out well for him. He was happier than she had seen him over the duration of his stay. Not many caught the looks or supposedly accidental touches between Harry and Remus Lupin, but Minerva had to stop herself from smiling whenever she did. She watched as Sirius Black said something that caused the group of friends to roar with laughter and James Potter and Lily Evans to blush brightly. It was good to see such joviality while You-Know-Who was terrorizing the wizarding world.

Minerva leaned to her side and whisper, "Look at him Albus."

If she didn't know better she could have sworn she heard the twinkle in the headmaster's eyes, "He is finally happy. It will not be much longer now."

Minerva lifted her teacup to her lips and the warm liquid was a comfort. She knew that Harry had to go back to his own time, but she would miss him. He had become a true friend in such a short time.

"It's almost a shame we have to send him back," Minerva sighed.

"He is an extraordinary young man," Albus agreed.

They let their attention fix back on the seventh-year Gryffindor students. Harry turned to look at the staff table and smiled at them. Minerva smiled back and Harry went back to his conversation. Lily put her arm around Harry's waist and James draped an arm across Harry's shoulders. The three of them leaned together while Sirius distracted Peter Pettigrew.

Minerva continued to watch Harry closely at meals and in class. The deep sadness she had seen in him was still there, but it was tempered by acceptance. When Harry came by her office not long before Halloween she was glad to see him smiling in contentment as he sipped his tea.

"How are you faring lately?" she questioned as she held out a tray of biscuits.

Harry took one and ate it quickly, "I'm feeling good lately. These are still your favorites in twenty years."

Minerva smiled, "And how do you know that?"

"I started getting extra lessons in my sixth year," Harry grinned. "You joined the 'let's make sure Harry eats as much as he can' conspiracy."

Minerva raised her eyebrows but Harry just laughed and refused to elaborate.

"You are going to have quite an advantage when you go home," she observed before eating a biscuit herself.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah but I'll have to repeat months of classes and Hermione will still get better grades than me."

"She must be very intelligent," Minerva remarked.

The grin that lit up Harry's face and the twinkle in his eye made Minerva feel that she had missed some joke, "You have no idea."

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"I'm coming with you tonight. Pass the pumpkin juice," Harry said at breakfast two days later. He still hadn't told any of them he was an animagus. Remus knew everything else, and the others knew bits and pieces.

Remus's eyes widened and Peter almost choked on his toast. James and Sirius looked worried.

"He knows?" Peter managed to get out, a bit scared.

"Well, as I'm not registered either I don't think there will be any problems," he shot a small smile in Moony's direction. The amber eyes softened. They kept their newfound relationship quiet from the rest of the school, though Harry assumed that Albus knew.

Harry was tempted to brew Wolfsbane for Moony, but didn't want to get Peter suspicious and didn't want to leave Remus without it for twenty years after experiencing the relief. Harry had managed to convince Snape to teach him the potion in the summer before his sixth year, though he still wasn't sure how he managed that.

"You're one too?" Sirius asked, dumfounded.

James was shaking his head and laughing. He ran his fingers through his hair in the same manner that Harry always did.

Lily leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Like father, like son."

Harry smiled at her. She and James had taken to sitting on either side of him at meals. Now that his secrets were out he was getting much closer to them. He learned about his family histories, something he had not been able to get from anyone else. One thing in particular he was glad to discover was that several Potters over the years had been exceptionally short. The Dursleys' neglect had not stunted Harry's growth.

That afternoon was a free period. Moony was getting tired. Fighting the pull of the full moon was instinctual and exhausting. Harry sat on his bed, holding onto the other boy loosely. Harry rested against a pile of pillows in front of the headboard with Remus leaning on his chest. Harry's arms and legs were wrapped around Remus. Remus's body sometimes twitched, as his muscles got closer to the transformation, and Harry would gently massage the tense area. Remus would have to leave for the hospital wing soon and Poppy would escort him to the Shrieking Shack, his friends close behind.

"You never told us what you are," Remus said, referring to Harry's animagus form.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. It's a little unusual," he said, bending down to plant a kiss on the werewolf's forehead.

"Can you show me now? I don't remember everything that happens, not like a human would. The wolf sees things differently too," he said, fear laced through his words.

"Only for you," Harry whispered, knowing how nervous Remus was for Harry to be there for his transformation.

He gently moved Remus so he was propped up on the pillows. Harry slid off the bed and stood on the floor in the center of the room. He concentrated on his griffin form and moments later felt the freedom of the wings and powerful golden paws. He stretched out his wings for Remus and flexed his paws, the claws sliding out and back in.

Seeing Remus from his animagus form was interesting. He could see the evidence of the wolf within the man. His griffin self was every bit as attracted to the wolf as Harry was to the man. He had always had a dark side. He transformed back and joined Remus on the bed.

"You're beautiful!" Remus whispered in awe.

"So are you. The griffin can see the wolf," Remus flinched.

Harry knew that Remus was afraid that the griffin, a powerfully magical creature, would reject the wolf. The wolf, after all, was a dark creature where the griffin was a light creature. Harry leaned forward and nibbled on Remus's neck. He was rewarded with a moan. Hands traced Harry's back and slid inside the jeans and boxers he was wearing, squeezing.

Harry captured Remus's lips beneath his, slipping his tongue into the other boy's mouth. They had shared the same bed for several nights now, though fully, or mostly, clothed. They knew Harry would have to leave soon, and didn't know what would happen when they saw each other after he got back so were reluctant to take relationship as far as their hormones urged. Their restraint went only so far, though.

"Mmmm. I hate to go, but I have to. The moon rises in two hours," Remus said, not needing to look outside to know.

"You better go. You'll hardly be able to move in an hour." Harry gave Remus a final, parting kiss and watched him leave.

Harry went down to the common room to meet with James, Sirius, and Peter. Harry was given the Marauder's Map for his time there, as they had to keep up the facade that he didn't know Hogwarts as well as the rest of them. Harry was careful not to show it to Peter until he had discreetly charmed it to show his name as Jameson instead of Potter. They left Gryffindor Tower one at a time and met behind the greenhouses. When the four of them were all together James spoke up nervously. They had an hour until the moonrise.

"I don't think we'll all fit under the cloak."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sirius whispered in his ear. "The transformation is not pleasant."

"I've seen it before Padfoot, or rather, will see it," Harry whispered back.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said.

"Don't worry about the cloak James," Harry said. He rapped them each on the head, muttering the disillusionment charm under his breath. Strangely, he could see a faint glow where each of them was. It must be because he had cast the charm.

"Cold," Peter commented.

"Definitely up there on the weird scale," Sirius said.

"Let's go, we've got to get to the Shack and transform," James reminded them.

They set off. When Peter transformed to touch the knot that froze the Whomping Willow, the glow changed a bit and the rat remained invisible. The boys climbed down to the passage under the tree roots and entered the Shrieking Shack. Harry knew that Moony was in the back bedroom, waiting for their animagus forms to greet the wolf after the transformation. No one was allowed to watch the process. Harry removed the disillusionment charm from all of them, feeling the familiar warm sensation that accompanied it.

"Okay Harry, you've kept it a secret all day, now change," James ordered.

"Yes, Dad," Harry said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

They all laughed, though Peter for a different reason than the others. Harry transformed smoothly, turned in a circle, and stretched his wings. He had an urge to take to the sky, but could sense the wolf in the other room that needed him.

"Wow. You're a griffin!" James said.

"They're really rare!" Peter exclaimed.

"Nice. My big, black, grim-like dog doesn't seem nearly as impressive now," Sirius complained before transforming.

The others transformed and the animals greeted each other. The griffin felt an instant distrust for the rat. Harry knew Peter had already fallen to Voldemort, even if Peter himself didn't know it. Harry tried to ignore him and romped with the dog. The griffin was larger, but the stag was larger still.

There was a horrifying howl from the next room. It had a mixture of human scream and animal sound. It was no wonder the villagers in Hogsmeade thought the shack was haunted. When the sounds stopped the door was nudged open. A large wolf bound out of the room. He headed for the griffin first, rearing up in play fighting. The griffin responded in kind and dark forepaws met gold forepaws in the air. The animals nipped at each other and nuzzled, and the wolf turned to great the other animals before leading the way into the Forbidden Forest.

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	8. Chapter 8

Healing

Part Eight

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The Halloween Feast was the same as every other Halloween Feast Harry had attended at Hogwarts, only without the extra activities. There was no troll attacking someone in a girls' toilet. There was no Death Day Party with ghosts and petrified people. There was neither an escaped convict trying to get into the dorms, nor selections of champions for a tournament. There were no sociopath fanatic professors. No one sent searing pains to his head while attacking a prison fortress. Harry imagined that this was what the feast was like for everyone who was not him or one of his friends. It was nice, but there was something missing. He could stay here forever if it wasn't for Ron and Hermione. He couldn't do that to them.

"You're leaving us, aren't you?" Lily asked from across the table.

"Why would he leave?" Peter asked.

"I don't really belong here," Harry responded. He felt Remus's hand tighten on his under the table.

Peter looked confused but didn't inquire further. Harry's pity for him had only increased while he was here. Peter wasn't strong, or brave. He wasn't ambitious, or particularly intelligent. He certainly wasn't loyal. Harry supposed the Sorting Hat had put Peter in Gryffindor in hope that he would acquire some of the classic Gryffindor traits. There wasn't a house at Hogwarts where Peter would fit.

"Please Harry, stay," Remus pleaded. "Forget time lines and all that. You can tell all your friends what happened in twenty years."

Harry closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip. He could feel his resolve slipping, "I have to go. You know I do."

"Just a bit, another moon," Remus tried.

"And what then, another moon, and another?" Harry looked into Remus's eyes and saw his own pain mirrored. "I have to talk to Albus. I'll be back to say good-bye."

When the feast was over Harry did not return to Gryffindor Tower. He went instead to the headmaster's office. As he passed some Slytherins on the way they stayed out of his path. Word had gotten around that house not to cross Harry Jameson, though no one had been punished beyond the original deduction of points and detentions that James assigned, for the incident in the corridor days ago. Luckily, the Head Boy and Girl didn't have to justify their punishments unless they were challenged. Harry wondered for a moment how the Slytherins had gotten free from the ivy as he had dropped the wands just out of reach. Harry spoke the password and the gargoyle moved aside to admit him.

"It's time to leave Albus. I know you've been able to send me back for quite some time," Harry accused, knowing his eyes were twinkling again in the same way Albus's always did. It had taken months for him to recognize that feeling.

"Not much gets past you, does it Harry?" Albus stated.

"No, though you usually are the one who tells me," Harry responded a bit sadly. He would miss the headmaster.

"You will do fine on your own. Come back after you say your goodbyes and we'll send you home," Albus told him.

Harry nodded and left. He headed straight for Gryffindor Tower, not wanting to waste any time now that he was on his way. He entered the tower and found the common room crowded as the Halloween celebrations continued. The seventh year boys, and one girl, were missing from the scene. Harry went up to the room he had been sharing with Remus, Sirius, and Peter. All five of them were there waiting. Peter looked confused. They obviously had not told him what was going on.

"Peter, you have a choice. I can tell you why I'm leaving and where I'm going or you can go downstairs while I say goodbye," Harry said to the shock of the others in the room.

"I'd like to hear it," Peter said.

As Harry told his story Peter's eyes grew bigger and bigger. Harry showed him the picture he carried and told him finally what he had told no one else. Peter had been sent to kill Remus, only able to do so because of the silver hand Voldemort had created for him. Severus had discovered the plot and saved Remus. The Potions Master had finally been able to save one of the Marauders, though he was seriously injured in the process.

Harry described how Peter had been caught by the aurors, killing two of them with his silver hand in the process. The silver appendage had been cut from his body and destroyed before he had been given to the dementors to receive the kiss. When he finished Peter was crying and shaking and the others were stunned.

"I haven't joined You-Know-Who, I swear. The Slytherins won't leave me alone, but I haven't. Please believe me. I won't do it. I can't do that to all of you. I'd rather die," the boy cried desperately.

Harry saw that if he left things as they were Peter's Gryffindor bravery might finally surface, but he couldn't. He realized that Peter had been slowly broken until he finally gave in. Once he did there was no going back. He was not nearly as strong as Snape.

"Peter, I have to memory charm all of you now," Harry said.

"What? No! You can't! If I don't know what will happen…" Peter trailed off.

"Peter, I can't change the future. If you don't do all those things, Voldemort might never die," Harry explained with Remus's hand on his back for support.

Peter looked around at his friends, "I'm sorry I'm not strong enough."

"It's okay Peter," Lily said as she stepped forward to hug him. "We all play the parts that were given to us."

"We forgive you Peter," James said. "Stronger people than any of us have fallen to his persuasions."

"I don't blame you Peter. I blame You-Know-Who," Sirius told him.

"Everyone has to drink this," Harry said, holding out what was almost the last of the Dreamless Sleep potion he had brewed. There was enough for one forced hour of sleep for each of them. "When you're asleep I'll perform the memory charms."

"I'm sorry I don't get to see you grow up Harry. I'm proud of who you've become," James hugged Harry and took one of the goblets. He crossed to his old bed and sat down to drink the potion. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad," Harry said as James fell into sleep.

Lilly hugged him as tightly as her arms could manage. "Thank you for telling us Harry. I'll be watching over you. I love you."

"I love you Mum." Lily lay down next to her future husband to sleep.

"If I have to die, I'm glad I do it for you." Sirius hugged Harry and took his goblet to his own bed.

"I'm sorry for everything Harry," Peter said, his hand shaking as he drank the potion.

"I don't blame you," Harry told him honestly as Peter slipped away.

Harry turned to say goodbye to Remus.

"Harry," Moony began, "you don't have to charm me. I won't create a paradox. I want to remember this, remember you."

Harry felt tears forming. He had suspected this would happen and planned what to do. "No Moony, it might be too hard to resist. Can you really watch all your friends die, knowing you could save them?"

"I have you to wait for," Remus said. He took Harry in his arms and kissed him passionately.

Harry returned the kiss. If anything could keep him here, this could. He could spend the rest of his life waking up next to Remus Lupin. There was too much at risk though. He raised his wand and had it pointed at Remus as they pulled apart from the kiss. Remus never saw it.

"_Obliviate_," Harry said, tears streaming down his face.

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Remus froze in place. Performing a memory charm was more than saying the word. The caster had to know exactly what memories they erasing, or they could destroy the mind they were tampering with. That was what Lockhart had tried to do to Ron and Harry, and had succeeded in doing to himself. Carefully Harry picked through the threads of memory, like working on a complicated tapestry. Harry left the memory of a boy named Harry Jameson, and the love Remus had for him, but left no memories of Harry Potter or their long talks together about the future. In the aftermath of the memory charm Remus was disoriented. Harry put a sleeping charm on him.

He went around the room, performing the memory charm on each person in the room. He would only see one of them ever again. He woke Remus before leaving the room, to make sure the charm had worked.

"Harry, what's with all of them? It's too early to go to sleep. Why are James and Lily in your bed?" Remus asked.

It had worked.

"I have to go Remus," Harry said. "I'm on my way to see Uncle Albus. Please give Sirius my broom. I won't need it anymore." He turned and walked towards the door.

"Harry, wait!" Remus cried. "I - I wanted to tell you..."

Harry's stopped in the doorway. His heart ached at the need and uncertainty in Remus's voice. He turned, stepped across the room, and pulled the other boy into a desperate kiss. Remus's lips under his were still at first, surprised. They began to move, responding to Harry with passion and desire, communicating all their feelings in a single kiss. Remus's hands gripped Harry's robes, pulling Harry against his body. Harry broke the kiss, breathing deeply, and gently pushed Remus away. Amber eyes pleaded with blue.

"Do you really have to go?" he pleaded.

"I can't stay," Harry said, tracing a hand down Remus's face. He wiped away the tear that spilled out of Remus's eye, let his hand linger on the werewolf's cheek. He brushed one finger across Remus's lips and turned away before he lost his nerve. He picked the photograph up off the trunk and slipped it in his pocket before leaving Gryffindor Tower.

He walked quickly to the infirmary and charmed Poppy before almost running to Albus's office, wanting to get it over with and get back home. He entered and saw Minerva and Albus sitting exactly where he had left them.

"Are you ready Harry?" Minerva asked.

Harry nodded. She got up and hugged him. This was one more thing that would probably never happen again. The Professor McGonagall Harry knew was not the hugging type. He gripped her tightly, his emotions almost ready to spill over. He handed her his final goblet of Dreamless Sleep potion. There was only enough there for an hour of sleep as there had been for the others. Minerva looked down at the goblet and back up Harry.

"If I don't tell you in the future Harry, I want you to know now. You are an amazing person. I'm thankful for the time I had you as a friend." She drank the potion and fell asleep before he could respond.

He pointed his wand at her and erased all memory of Harry Potter. He left behind the young relative of the headmaster that became her friend after his parents died. He left their walks and flying and all of their conversations that hadn't touched his past. He removed the knowledge of his animagus form, remembering with a smile how proud she was when he first transformed. Harry turned to Albus. He took several rolls of parchment out of his robes and passed them to the headmaster.

"I've written letters to everyone, explaining that I had to leave to fight the war in my own way. Can you post them for me later?" Harry asked.

Albus nodded. "I will. Shall we?" he asked, settling in his chair.

Harry performed a memory charm on the headmaster. He left the knowledge that the young man who had appeared at Hogwarts on July 31, 1977 was Harry Potter, come from the future after defeating Voldemort. He removed all other knowledge of what would happen, including the timing of the headmaster's death and Voldemort's defeat. Harry finished the charm and Albus took a few moments to recover from the disorientation of the memory charm.

"Take this Floo powder Harry. It has been adjusted to allow you to pick any place, in any time. Choose carefully Harry. I recommend returning to this office not too long after the battle," Albus suggested.

Harry took the Floo powder and addressed the headmaster, "Thank you Albus. I love you."

"And I you, Harry. I will leave you to your departure now," Albus stood and, after a quick hug, left Harry in his office with the sleeping deputy headmistress.

Harry saw the clothes he had arrived in neatly folded on a chair, but still dirty. He changed into them, surprised to find that the robes were a bit small for him. He had grown an inch or two in his time here. He threw the Floo powder into the fireplace. Instead of turning green, as the flames normally did for travel by Floo, they turned purple.

Harry stepped into the flames and shouted.

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Harry shouted his destination, "Headmistress McGonagall's office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, July 31, 1997.

He began spinning and held his arms tucked in, not wanting to end up in the wrong place. That would be much worse than falling into Knockturn Alley while aiming for Diagon Alley. He felt himself slowing and opened his eyes. He saw the headmaster's office flash by at various points. He saw a small Harry waiting nervously for the headmaster after a student was found petrified and witnessing Fawkes on a burning day.

Harry told Albus about his vision during Divination. Sirius hugged Harry tightly after the end of the Triwizard Tournament. He saw Albus stunning Cornelius Fudge and disappearing with Fawkes. He saw himself raging, destroying the delicate silver instruments in the office. Albus calmly flicked his wand, repairing nearly all the damage. Albus offered sixteen-year-old Harry a lemon drop after a strenuous training session. He saw Minerva sitting behind the desk, reading a letter. He threw out his arms and came to a stop, falling out onto the floor of the office.

He looked up at Minerva and saw the shock on her face. "I hate Floo travel," he said as he dusted himself off.

"Albus didn't say how you would be getting back," she told him, holding up the letter. "He always liked his little surprises. I suppose he couldn't resist."

Harry was shocked. "He shouldn't have known."

A tear slid down Minerva's face. "He put a few choice moments in his pensieve while you were in Gryffindor Tower, Harry. You came back only moments after he had put it away."

She stood and crossed the room to pull Harry into a hug. He felt her tug at his ponytail gently. He stepped back in surprise. He had forgotten to change his appearance back to normal. Minerva was smiling at him.

"You remember," he said softly.

"It all came back just a few hours ago. Not many people will believe us, but nothing else will explain how you've grown two inches in a matter of hours," she placed Dumbledore's letter back on the table. This was a much different Harry than the one that had left Hogwarts last June. In June he had been in a state of adjustment after the springtime battle where he had killed for the first time. He was now an adult, in more than one sense of the word. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

"Thank you Minerva," he smiled at her. He waved his wand and the unruly raven hair, now sprinkled with white, and legendary green eyes returned. It would take him some time to get acclimated to his own time again. "Now I know why Albus was always so confident that I would win. I told him. Exactly when is it?"

"It is July 31, 1997 at eleven in the morning. You've been missing for seven hours. I remembered everything right after you disappeared. Molly Weasley probably thinks I've gone crazy. I told her you were fine and came straight here. Albus told me where he would send you back before your memory charms, but not exactly how or when," she explained. He could see the pain of loss in her eyes as she reached out to tousle his hair.

"He loved his little surprises. Are Hermione and Ron safe? Who did we lose? Is Remus...?" Harry couldn't ask the question he needed the answer to more than any other.

"They're all fine, though probably frantic with worry. I imagine Remus is combing the countryside looking for you. I don't know how much he remembers Harry. He's never said a word to me about any of it," it pained her to tell him. His eyes watered but he did not cry. He had always been too strong that way.

"I should probably go to the Burrow. I wouldn't want anyone to worry more than they have to," he paused. "Can you owl Remus for me?" he asked.

She nodded and handed him the Floo powder and an envelope. There was a twinge in his chest when he looked at the envelope. His name was written on the front in Albus Dumbledore's writing. Harry turned the envelope over in his hands, feeling the unique magical signature of Albus that assured Harry the letter was written by him. Harry crossed to Albus's desk and opened the tin that sat on the blotter. He popped a lemon drop in his mouth and offered the tin to Minerva, who placed a drop on her tongue and closed her eyes.

"They don't taste the same without him," Harry said softly.

Minerva hugged him again and stepped back. He tucked the letter in his robes to read later in privacy and took out some Floo powder, replacing the container on the mantle. He wrinkled his face in distaste and threw a pinch in the fire. Harry was relieved that the flames turned green. He stepped in and shouted, "The Burrow!"

"HARRY!" he heard from several voices as he fell to his knees in the Weasleys' living room. Before he was able to stand he was pulled up; there was a blur of red and several bodies thumped against him. Harry felt himself squeezed in a bone-crushing hug, his face pressed into someone's chest. Even with the new two inches he was still shorter than most of the Weasley family. Just as he thought he had managed to kill Voldemort and make it back to his own time, only to be suffocated by his closest friends, he was released from the hug.

There was a flurry of questions and Harry couldn't make out a single one. "One at a time!" he finally yelled.

There was silence. Harry looked around at the family that treated him as though he were one of their own. All the Weasley's were there, as was Hermione. She had arrived at The Burrow a few days before to spend the rest of the summer. Harry suspected her parents didn't know she was dating Ron. They all stared at him, no one speaking, until Ginny finally broke the silence.

"Harry, are you taller?" she asked softly. It looked like no one would mention his hair.

He laughed until his eyes started to water. She was the most likely one to notice, as they had been the same height. Of all the questions they could have asked him it was the one he least expected.

"Where have you been Harry? I saw you disappear seven hours ago," Bill said. He had been fighting right by Harry when Voldemort died.

Harry raked his fingers through his hair and was reminded of his father. He bit his lip as the memory of James flashed through his mind, laughing at Sirius and brushing his hand through his hair. He almost lost himself in memories. "It's kind of complicated..." he trailed off.

"Is You-Know-Who really dead?" Ron questioned.

Harry nodded, "Yes. He's gone for good this time. I promise. I felt it." Harry turned to look at Mrs. Weasley, who had tears falling down her cheeks. "Do you mind if I get cleaned up and get some sleep? I'm pretty tired."

"Oh, of course! What were we thinking? You must be exhausted dear," she said, maternal mode kicking in.

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	9. Chapter 9

Healing

Part Nine

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After a shower Harry changed into a pair of Ron's pajamas, which were too long by far. No matter how much Harry grew he knew that Ron would always tower over him. He climbed into the spare bed that he always used when he stayed at The Burrow. Harry had no intention of going to sleep just yet. He pulled the letter out of the pocket of his robes and opened it to read.

_July 30, 1997_

_Eight O' Clock, PM_

_Harry,_

_I am glad you arrived home safely. It was the only part of my plan that I had any uncertainty of. Once again I must apologize for deceiving you. I must admit that I cheated Harry. Before you left us in 1977 I put several memories of our time in my pensieve. I can only say in my defense that I did so for your sake. The attack on Privet Drive will begin in six hours. As soon as I am done writing to you, Minerva and I will gather the members of the Order and alert the Ministry so we can reach you in time._

_Before you left Hogwarts this summer I cast a spell on you which will be activated by the power released when Voldemort dies. That spell is what sent you back twenty years. Having experienced the celebrating at the time of Voldemort's first fall I know that the wizarding world will not give you time to recover and mourn. They will insist on your triumphant presence. When you arrived in 1977 a great weight had been lifted from your shoulders and the events of the past seventeen years finally caught up with you. I believe you need that time in order to survive your victory._

_Do not mourn for me now Harry. I have lived much longer than most of our kind does and my life was as meaningful as I hoped it could be. You need to know Harry that you were never alone. I have always watched over you and always will. I apologize for leaving you with the Dursleys all those years, but if I had not you would not be the man you are today. The last seventeen years of my life were touched in a way I never thought possible. You are the son I never had._

_Love,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry was overcome with emotion. He had suspected, but never knew just how much Albus cared about him. There had been many caring adults in his life, the Weasleys most prominently, but Albus was the one who advised him, cautioned him, helped him find himself. Sirius was reckless and Remus more like a friend. Albus had been the one who took the role of a father. Even though Albus had told Harry not to mourn, he could not stop the tears that welled up in his eyes.

"Harry?" he heard Hermione say tentatively.

Harry turned to see her standing in the doorway. By the sound of shuffling feet he guessed that there were at least four other people in the hall. He blinked away the impending tears.

"We didn't think you would be sleeping yet. Can we come in?" she asked.

Harry was reminded strongly of Lily. "Sure," he responded. He would have to tell them eventually. It would be easier to do it now than to wait.

The door shut behind the four youngest Weasley siblings. Hermione moved the letter he had set down on the bed and sat beside Harry. Ron joined them on the bed while Fred, George, and Ginny took the other bed. None of them had been in the battle. They had been ordered to stay home, and not even told where everyone was going, despite the fact that all of them except Ginny were Order members.

Harry started his story. "I was sitting in bed, working on my Potions essay, when I saw flashes of light outside my window. I looked outside and saw Death Eaters attacking the wards that Dumbledore had surrounding the house. I knew the Dursleys would wake up soon, so I went to their bedrooms and put up wards that wouldn't let them leave until they were safe. If the house was destroyed the wards would have protected those rooms. I ran outside and fought through the Death Eaters. Then I saw Voldemort kill Albus…

"…and then Minerva gave me the letter and I Flooed over here," Harry finished.

Harry did not notice the glance Fred and George exchanged as he told his story. He had told them everything except his relationship with Moony and his animagus form. Ron and Hermione were the only ones who knew he was an animagus. Albus and Minerva had the forms ready to file to register him. They had planned to submit them once the news got out or Voldemort died, whichever happened first. He could wait a few weeks to tell the others.

"You actually got to meet your parents?" George asked.

Harry nodded. He missed them, but the pain of never knowing them was gone. He no longer felt guilt over their deaths or Sirius's death. Harry thought briefly about Remus. He almost wished he had listened and not performed the memory charm, but knew he had acted for the best. He knew Minerva's charm had been reversed, but he couldn't hope for the same with Remus.

"Harry?" he heard Ron say.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"We lost you for a minute there. Was it your parents and Sirius?" he asked gently.

Harry was surprised. Ron was not usually so thoughtful. "No, yes, I... do you mind if I don't say? I don't think I'm ready for that." Harry bit his lip and looked down.

"Of course not," Ginny said. She jumped off the other bed and hugged him. "You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to."

"We better go before Mum realizes we're up here. She'll kill us for keeping you awake," Fred said.

The Weasleys all hurried out of the room, but Hermione hesitated at the door. She made a shooing motion and closed it again, turning back to Harry.

"You need to talk to him Harry, soon," she advised.

Harry's jaw dropped, "I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to. It was pretty easy to read between the lines and I know you. You said he asked you not to put the memory charm on him. He was the one you tested to make sure it worked. Harry, he didn't want to forget it was you," Hermione said quietly.

The tears he had held back earlier spilled over, "What if he doesn't remember? What if he doesn't want me anymore?"

She sat back down on the bed and hugged him, "There's only one way to find out."

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That day Harry slept for more straight hours in a row than he had in at least two years. There were no nightmares and his scar didn't hurt for the first time in years. He woke up to discover that Molly and Arthur Weasley were only just getting back from some errand or another, and Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George weren't expected back until dinner.

The celebrations lasted for three weeks. Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys were put up at The Leaky Cauldron, free of charge. Harry was given the Order of Merlin, First Class, the youngest ever to receive the distinction. The Ministry made Harry's birthday, the day Voldemort was defeated, an official holiday. Harry was the guest of honor at banquets, ceremonies, parties, and other events.

All of Harry's accomplishments were applauded many times, now spun in a more positive light than they had been in the past. There was a memorial service for everyone who fell fighting Voldemort and a special service honoring Albus Dumbledore. Harry had to make speeches at each event. Hermione helped him write them. They ended up with three basic speeches and tweaked them each time he had to speak. Harry was surrounded by people everywhere he went. There were members of the Order of the Phoenix nearby constantly, as there were Death Eaters still at large.

It was easy to avoid Remus. With all the people trying to see Harry it was difficult for anyone to get close to him. Hermione and Ron appointed themselves as Harry's intermediaries. They made sure he got time to eat and sleep, but that was about all they could manage. They waded through the piles of letters delivered by owl every day. Harry suspected he had received at least one hundred letters a day. With the size of the wizarding population that was a significant number. In those letters were at least fifty job offers for when Harry graduated from Hogwarts.

Mrs. Weasley had to do the shopping for their seventh year at Hogwarts, as she had the three previous years. Harry had expected to finally be able to get his own supplies, now that Voldemort was gone, but he would have had to fight through crowds of well wishers just to buy his books. Harry was also sent many gifts, which were thoroughly inspected before he was allowed to touch them. As Fred and George had the most experience hexing objects they were the first line of defense. Harry suspected that they got a few ideas for their joke shop as they inspected and removed jinxes from various packages.

Harry spent the final week before classes started at Hogwarts. The celebrations were dying down and people were back to work. The silence in the castle was deafening. Until he got there Harry hadn't noticed that he had been surrounded by noise ever since he got to The Burrow on his birthday. Harry spent a lot of his time talking with Minerva or wandering the corridors. It was a habit he couldn't seem to break.

"Hello Severus," he said as he passed the Potions Master, smiling at the memory that brought up.

"Harry," Snape said as he strode away, his robes billowing behind him.

Harry spun around and stared after him in shock, "You're not limping!"

"Why would I be Potter?" Snape snapped at him.

"But… your injury… I thought," Harry stammered.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Snape demanded.

"When you saved Remus... they cursed you. The healers couldn't fix your leg," Harry said.

"The fame has addled your brain. I never saved your pet werewolf," Snape said as he walked back to where Harry was standing.

"But how did they catch Wormtail, then?" Harry was confused.

"Are you feeling well Harry?" Snape actually looked concerned.

Harry gave him an irritated glare, "I'm fine. Tell me how they caught Peter."

"I think you, of all people, would remember," he stepped closer to Harry, inspected him. "He turned himself in, to _you_, when Voldemort demanded he kill Remus Lupin." Snape told him.

Harry stood with his mouth wide open. He was sure his astonished expression was disturbing the potions professor. "Did he receive the kiss?"

"No," Snape looked disgusted. "He was sentenced to ten years after he turned in several other Death Eaters and revealed what he knew of Voldemort's plans."

Harry stretched out his hand to support himself against a wall. He suddenly felt ill. "Oh no, what else did I change?"

"Harry?"

"How much do you remember about your seventh year at Hogwarts? Do you remember a new Gryffindor who disappeared on Halloween?" Harry asked.

"If you've been in my pensieve again..." Snape said threateningly. If any other wizard had heard him talking this way to Harry Potter, Snape would have been attacked.

"No, I haven't," Harry said. He raised his wand and changed his hair, and then his eyes.

"Harry Jameson? It was you Potter?" Snape's normal harsh tone had disappeared. For the first time Harry saw true bewilderment on the man's face.

Harry returned himself to his normal appearance. "Can you believe all that really happened in only seven hours here? I got there on the same day I left here. Minerva found me on the quidditch pitch."

"Be very careful when you refer to anything that happened since then. I suggest you spend the rest of the week in the library looking up everything you can on anyone you had contact with in 1977. Does Minerva know what happened?" Snape questioned.

"Yes," Harry nodded miserably. He was suddenly afraid that he had changed things dramatically. "How did this happen?"

"Perhaps you did not think, as usual," Snape suggested, although all malice was absent from his tone.

"I memory charmed everyone who knew," Harry said. "Minerva's charm broke the night I killed Voldemort."

"Perhaps some of the others broke as well," Snape suggested.

"I think I need to see Peter," Harry looked to Snape.

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"Harry," a soft voice said.

Harry whipped around. He hadn't been expecting this. With all that had happened he wasn't ready. "What are you doing here?" his voice trembled.

"I've been trying to see you for weeks," Remus said. "Minerva told me you were here."

"I've been busy," Harry did not lie. He was sitting in the Hogwarts library with twenty years of _The Daily Prophet_ spread out before him. There were two days left until the rest of the students arrived. Luckily all the Hogwarts professors, except Albus, survived the war. The only vacant position was Transfiguration. Minerva was currently planning on teaching and performing the duties of Headmistress until they found a replacement.

"Harry, have you been avoiding me?" Remus asked.

Harry could see the hurt in his eyes. He wanted to do nothing more than kiss the hurt away, but he couldn't. "No… I…"

"Harry, don't lie to me. You're as bad at it as James was," Remus said as he pulled up a chair next to Harry.

Harry felt like a jolt of electricity passed through him as Remus's arm brushed his. He hadn't even been this nervous the first time they kissed. There was much more at stake now. Harry pushed back his chair and stood up, trying to put some distance between them. He couldn't think with Remus that near.

Harry couldn't look at his eyes, so he examined the rest of the man before him. He was very different from his seventeen-year-old self. The thirty-seven-year-old had streaks of gray hair and his face was lined with years of loss and pain. Harry knew there were scars from each transformation, and some from battle as well.

"Harry," Remus reached out and took Harry's hand.

Harry did not reply. He felt his breath quicken. Remus stood and bent down to press his lips against Harry's. Harry wrapped his arms around Remus and drew the man tight against his body. All doubt fled Harry's mind as he let himself be consumed by desire for the older man. When they pulled apart Harry brushed Moony's face from temple to chin with the back of his fingers and whispered the nickname.

"Harry, are you sure? I'm twenty years older than I was when -"

"And I'm not. I was afraid you didn't want it anymore. It may have been twenty years for you, but it wasn't much more than twenty days for me. When did you remember?" Harry inquired, still unable to believe.

"It was the night Sirius died. I saw him fall through the veil, and I had already lost him once. Then you tried to get to him, and I couldn't lose you too. When I tried to stop you… it was like a dam broke in my mind. I was practically paralyzed. I couldn't stop you from chasing after Bella. I've waited a year for you to know." Remus was holding Harry around the waist.

"I'm sorry Moony. I charmed you without your permission. You asked me not to." Harry thought he might cry again. Tears seemed to come so much easier since Voldemort died.

"Why did you? You didn't try to convince me," Remus asked.

"I would have given in, and I knew I couldn't. I've done enough as it is. I've changed you, Minerva, Severus, Peter, and who knows what else?" Harry explained, trying to excuse his trespass.

"It's okay Harry. I'm not mad. How could I be mad at you?" Remus said, leaning in for another kiss.

Minerva watched the reunion from the doorway. She had cast the Disillusion Charm on herself so she didn't intrude. When she had seen that Harry would never approach Remus she had called Remus into her office. He had been just as reluctant to approach Harry as Harry was to approach him. Of course, their reasons were entirely different. Once a lengthy discussion was past he had submitted to her persuasion. With Harry as young as he was a relationship with someone twenty years his senior would not necessarily be approved of by the community at large.

At seventeen, though, Harry was legally an adult. After defeating Voldemort the wizarding world was liable to forgive any transgressions on his part. Minerva stepped aside as Harry and Remus left the library together. They headed towards Gryffindor Tower. Minerva turned towards the dungeons. She had to find Severus and inform him of this development concerning the seventh year student and the new Transfiguration professor. She pictured the expression on the Potions Master's face and grinned. It was now obvious why Albus was always smiling. This job had many benefits.

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The End

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Read

The Sequel: Another Chance

And Then: Behind Blue Eyes

The Companion Piece: Changes

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